Why do you think you were chosen to be one of Blue Edge’s Top 10 local groms?
Maybe because I’m a decent freesurfer? I don’t know. I’m not that great in surf contests, for some odd reason, but I’m a fun-to-watch freesurfer.

How did you get into surfing?
My dad was always down at the beach surfing, so I got a boogie board. When I started standing up on my boogie board, he said it was time for me to get a surfboard.

What is the best aspect about surfing around here?
Our pointbreaks.

Where have you traveled for surf?
I’ve been to Mexico, the East Coast, and all of the Hawaiian Islands. I have a trip to Australia coming up, and after that I’m going down to mainland Mexico, then I’m doing a boat trip in Indonesia.

Which surfers have influenced you?
The surfer who has influenced me the most is Jamie O’Brien, because I can relate to him a bit — his freesurfing is unbelievable, and it’s great knowing that there is more to surfing than just contests.

What would you like to accomplish after high school?
To finish the NSSA contest — I’ve got one more year doing those — and then focus on the ASP Pro Junior circuit. After that, I want to just really focus on Hawaii, maybe take a year off from the contest circuit and focus on Hawaii, getting Pipeline down, because it’s one of my favorite waves.

Describe an average day in your life.
Waking up, hopping on the computer, checking e-mails, doing schoolwork, going surfing for however long, wherever. Then I come back home, knock out a little more school work, maybe get an evening surf session in, and relax.

How did you get into competitive surfing?
I picked up a few sponsors when I was 12 or 13. When I was 14 or 15, they said, “You’re pretty darn good. When are you going to start competing?” Currently I do the NSSA’s Gold Coast and Southwest conferences, plus any random contests that pop up in between.

What is your favorite surf spot and why?
That would definitely have to be Pipeline. I started surfing it for about two months last spring; I had always been kind of afraid of it, but I just cowboyed up and went out there and got a couple of sick ones. Ever since then, I live, eat, and sleep that place.

Who are your favorite Pipe surfers?
Jamie O’Brien — he’s a freak — plus Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, and all the local boys.

How do you like living in Ventura?
At the point where I’m at right now, I’d rather be at my house in Hawaii. Ventura is cool and stuff — I’m pretty much here to finish the NSSA conferences — but I’d rather be surfing Pipe or something.

What is your favorite surfing maneuver?
Aerials and Barrels, for sure. If I had to pick one, it’d have to be barrels, if you can call that a maneuver. I’ve also been working on this weird little flip thing where, instead of doing an alley-oop, I grab both rails and invert it and make it upside down and land it back on the wave.

Any shout-outs?
I definitely want to thank my family and my sponsors for their support, and God, because if it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t be here. And there can’t be anything better in life than getting a check in the mail for going surfing — sometimes I just have to pinch