retro movement " mr.SHAUN TOMSON "

He was born Shaun Tomshinsky in Durban, South Africa. As a Jewish athlete, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He learned to surf in the beachbreaks in and around Durban under the watchful eye of his father Ernie, and alongside older cousin Michael Tomson.
Shaun attended school in Durban - Clifton Preparatory and Carmel College. Shaun went on to dominate amateur surfing competition in South Africa and began venturing over to Hawaii in the late 60's, courtesy of a barmitzvah present from his father. It was on one of these trips that an awestruck 14 year old Tomson eyewitnessed the so-called "Biggest Wave Ever Known" by Californian Greg Noll at Makaha in 1969. Hawaii's surf proved to be a daunting challenge for Shaun, but he continued to mature and train in South Africa's hollow waves, such as Cave Rock, the Bay Of Plenty, and Jeffrey's Bay.

[edit] Surfing and the Free Ride generation

In 1975, Shaun was an integral part of the "Free Ride" generation. Along with Australians Rabbit Bartholomew, Mark Richards, Ian Cairns, Peter Townend and Mark Warren, they rode the infamous waves along Oahu's legendary North Shore with a style, aggression, and raw courage unseen prior to their arrival. Collectively, these surfers changed the face of surfing and were the first to really apply themselves as serious professional surfers. With his good looks, eloquence, and undeniable athleticism, Tomson served by default as the face and voice of this movement, and he is still viewed as the prototype blueprint for today's pro surfer, with legions of fans throughout the world. Tomson won the highly coveted IPS World Championship in 1977.
On a performance level, Tomson completely changed the way the tube of the wave was ridden, using a completely unique style of pumping and weaving through and around collapsing sections of the barrel. Even today, his electrifying performances at Off The Wall and Backdoor Pipeline stand the test of time. A very underrated aspect of Tomson's inventiveness was his in the tube punch throughs where he escaped unscathed from hideous closeout sections over a shallow reef.

[edit] Tomson and film

Shaun Tomson has appeared in many films including Free Ride, Fantasea, Many Classic Moments, and In God’s Hands. Tomson also co-produced an award winning full length feature film about the benchmark mid-70's surfing era called, "Bustin' Down The Door" which premiered in early 2008.