Shaun Tomson among featured speakers at Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival
Beth Farnsworth
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – One of the best ways to empower and strengthen a person’s mental health in order to better ride life’s big waves, is through surfing. Just ask Shaun Tomson.
The 1977 World Champion Surfer and local resident joined your News Channel Thursday night for a special edition of Be Mindful.
Tomson has traveled the world, educating people about his creation of what he calls, “The Code” and how a simple list is changing lives.
“The Code was developed about 20 years ago,” said Tomson.
Turns out, an ongoing, multi-million dollar septic problem at Rincon was part of Tomson’s inspiration, along with a challenge posed by Glenn Hening, founder of the Surf Rider Foundation and, a group of volunteer kids Tomson had never met.
“Do something to inspire these young people coming down to the beach,” Hening said to Tomson.
So, Tomson compiled a list of 12 lessons that surfing had taught him about life.
“I will always paddle back out. I will never turn my back on the ocean. I’ll realize that all surfers are joined by one ocean, just the fundamental values.”
He quickly printed them up on cards, shared them with the kids and the movement grew. One of his favorites was written by a 13-year-old girl: “I will always be true to myself.” Tomson created a groundswell that is still spreading to this day as he travels internationally as an inspirational speaker.
“Now, hundreds of thousands of people around the world write their own codes, from the biggest corporations around the country to schools, universities.”
Tomson is among featured speakers at the 5th Annual Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival’s two day event which kicks off Friday, September 26 at the Lobero Theatre.
People interested in his new book, “The Surfer and the Sage” and, learning more about The Code can find information here.