Underwater Masterclass & Beyond: Tom Shields on Clinics, Surfing, and Mental Health | Episode 299
5/27/20261 hr 3 min
Is he the best underwater kicker of all time? We think so—and so does Coach Dave Durden! In this episode of the Social Kick Podcast, Olympic Gold Medalist and Cal Bear legend Tom Shields joins the crew to talk about his life post-retirement, his new swimming clinics, and his life in Santa Cruz, California.
Tom takes us through his incredible career, revealing the exact moment he realized his underwaters were world-class and how he used his turns to dominate the sport. But Tom’s next chapter goes far beyond the pool. He details his new three-pronged approach to giving back: high-level swimming clinics, partnering with local surf instructors for a holistic "waterman" experience, and his passion project—launching a foundation to bring mental health first aid to age-group swimming clubs.
From dodging sea lions while spearfishing and respecting local surf culture to breaking down why underwater breath-holding contests are useless for competitive swimming, this episode is packed with stories and actionable advice from one of the sport's greatest technicians.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsBrian Lundquist· Host0:00
Durden told us he's one of the best underwater kickers he ever coached, maybe the best. And now you can learn from him as he's doing clinics in Santa Cruz as well as in SoCal at Huntington Beach.
Luke Paddington· Host0:11
You wanna talk to somebody who you can talk to, who's confident yet humble, who knows what he's talking about, yet listens to you and figures out what you need? Dude, Tom Shields.
Brian Lundquist· Host0:20
Welcome to Social Kick. I'm Brian Lundquist. We got the full crew once again. Look at us with the consistency of the full crew. We're all at home doing our thing. Luke is back from all the travels once again. Dr. John Mullen, and a throwback friend of the pod from the early days- Hi ... Tom Shields. What's going on, Tom? How are you?
Tom Shields· Guest0:39
You... Good. I was trying to think of the last time I was either in the stands at NCAA's three or four years ago, or it was a- almost a decade ago now that I've been on. I can't remember- Yeah, I d- ... if I made air or not ...
Brian Lundquist· Host0:52
I don't know. It's certainly not a decade 'cause we ar- haven't been doing this for that long, but- Oh, okay. [laughs] ... uh, it's... You- [laughs] ... could have been, could have been five years ago though, for sure.
Tom Shields· Guest1:01
Yeah. That was at least five.
Brian Lundquist· Host1:03
Um, yeah, man, but always good to see you. Uh, excited to get to talk about what you're up to now. We start a podcast- Yeah ... these days with some audience questions from our followers on Instagram at socialkickswim, or YouTube or TikTok- Please ... or wherever you see our stuff. We had some questions from our audience for you, Tom. First, uh, our pal Neil Fitoshara wants to know, "If they allow 30 meters underwater, are you considering making a comeback for LA?"
Tom Shields· Guest1:26
No. [laughs] [laughs] That's like a year and a half