Shaun Tomson won 19 major professional surfing events, claimed the 1977 world championship, and revolutionized how surfers ride inside the barrel. On Saturday, July 11, he'll bring that legacy to Newport Beach.

Tomson speaks at 7 p.m. at the grand opening of Witte Hall, the new 299-seat auditorium adjacent to the Central Library at 998 Avocado Avenue. The appearance is part of the 20th anniversary tour for his book The Surfer's Code, originally published in 2006 and reissued by Diversion Books in April 2026.

The South African-born surfer, now 70 and living in Santa Barbara, competed professionally from 1976 to 1989 on the IPS World Tour. He won the Pipeline Masters in 1975 at age 19, with his father Ernie watching from the beach. Ernie Tomson had organized the world's first professional surfing event in 1969, where first prize was $500.

"To win with my father standing on the beach watching remains one of the greatest moments of my life," Tomson told Stu News Newport in a profile published Monday, July 7.

What set Tomson apart was his technique inside the tube. He pioneered a climb-and-drop, pump-and-weave style that let him ride backside through breaking sections at Pipeline, a method no one had attempted with that precision. Surfing Magazine named him one of the sport's 16 greatest surfers in 2004. The World Surf League gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.

Beyond competition, Tomson built two international clothing brands and produced the documentary Bustin' Down the Door, which chronicles how young Australians and South Africans created professional surfing in the 1970s. During production, archival ABC Wide World of Sports footage captured his father's voice shouting "You beauty!" at the 1975 Pipeline Masters win. Ernie Tomson died in 1981. Shaun heard the recording for the first time decades later.

His Saturday talk will focus on The Surfer's Code philosophy, which asks participants to write 12 promises beginning with "I will" in 12 minutes. Two of its core lines: "I will always paddle back out" and "I will know there will always be another wave."

Kelly Slater, the 11-time world champion, called the book "an all-time classic."

Witte Hall itself is a 9,815-square-foot facility equipped with advanced audio/visual technology. The Library Foundation of Newport Beach funded 50 percent of its construction cost in partnership with the city. Earlier on Saturday, July 11, the hall hosts a free open house from 2 to 4 p.m. featuring Newport Beach City Councilmember Robyn Grant reading a children's story, a magician, and a performance by Newport Beach Theatre Arts.

For ticket or registration information on the evening event, visit the Newport Beach Public Library website.