With beach and Christmas season right around the corner here in South Africa, Masterson’s book, “How To Surf in South Africa” (released by Penguin), is being hailed as a perfect gift for anyone from a novice surfer, to those who have never surfed, to those already getting a handle on the sport. Masterson, who himself has 25 years of surfing experience all over the world, writes step-by-step, easy to read instructions, accompanied by clear illustrations, on how to get going with the basics of the sport – all while keeping the South African wave conditions in mind.

The book is available for approximately R140 from both online book retailers and physical bookshops throughout the country. Visit the book’s page at Penguin here.

But now, three years after publication in the States, Shaun’s “Surfer’s Code Twelve Simple Lessons For Riding Through Life” has finally been released in South Africa. The book is based on the life lessons Shaun learned while surfing. “The book is about what the ocean can teach you and uses surfing as a metaphor for life. It is about riding the wave of life and uses my personal experiences to illustrate each lesson.”

He used to write those life lessons out on cards and hand them out to kids at the beach. Eventually, after collaborating with American surf writer and university lecturer Patrick Moser, the wisdoms saw the light in book form, and that’s how one of South Africa’s own surfing legends entered a new chapter in his life as ‘author’.

Sounds like a great beach read!