The Story of Sam Bloom - A journey from an accident in Thailand in 2013 to World Parasurfing Champion and Adventure Traveler

Samantha Bloom is a three-time World Para Surfing champion, bestselling author and inspiration behind the #1 Australian box-office, and international global Netflix hit movie, Penguin Bloom starring Naomi Watts.

The movie is adapted from the international bestselling book, Penguin Bloom: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family. Published in 14 languages, Penguin Bloom is a collaboration between Sam’s husband Cameron, a professional photographer, and New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive.

Paralyzed in an accident in Thailand in 2013, Sam has since won two Oceania KL1 paracanoe championships, and is the two-time Australian, three-time Hawaiian and World Para Surfing champion. In 2019, Sam was nominated for the Surfing Australia Female Surfer of the Year Award, and in 2022 was awarded the Surfing Australia Female Para Surfer of the Year.

Sam works with numerous spinal cord injury charities around the world and is a global ambassador for Wings For Life. She is an adventure traveler, ambassador for Tourism Australia and a former neurology nurse and mother of three boys.

Check out Sam here:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sambloomaustralia

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/samjbloom/

Website - https://sambloom.com.au/

Cameron Bloom Photography - https://bloomphotography.com/

About Cameron

Cameron is an award-winning photographer and cinematographer who began his career at the age of 15. Since then, his editorial and travel images have been published extensively, including in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The New York Times.

Cameron’s images feature in the international bestselling book Penguin Bloom: The odd little bird who saved a family and bestselling sequel Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong. Cameron’s creative talents were recognised at the 2018 GQ Awards where he received the Creative Force of the Year.

Cameron and wife Sam’s story inspired the #1 box-office and Netflix success Penguin Bloom starring Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln.

This session is brought to you by Austrade - a Tasmanian Tourism Conference partner.