Shaun Tomson: The Light Shines Ahead

A couple of weeks ago we were fortunate enough to attend an evening with surfing legend Shaun Tomson at his ‘The Light Shines Ahead’ talk at Huck magazine’s 71a Gallery in London. Below is a really great short film Huck have put together with footage from that night, day and Shaun giving an outline of his epic story.

An intro from Huck

Shaun brought his message about making positive life choices to Huck’s 71a Gallery on 10 March 2014. He spoke of his experiences as a former world surf champion and the lessons learned from a lifetime of surfing. His words carry great weight. Shaun’s own life was devastated when he lost his fifteen-year-old son. The boy made a bad decision that resulted in his death. Since the tragedy, he’s delivered talks to a range of audiences, but he is particularly interested in speaking to schools. He draws heavily on his personal story, but Shaun emphasises that he is speaking from his perspective alone and the talks are refreshingly non-prescriptive. When he spoke to students at Hackney’s City Academy, he said, "The only request I’m making of you guys is, when the decision comes your way, think twice."

If there’s one existential moment in surfing, it’s when you’re 20 feet back in the tube and you’re racing for the light. It’s about living in that moment because when you stand there on the board, the future’s just in front of your front foot, the past is just behind your back foot and the present is right beneath your feet.
Shaun Tomson