Surfing is a career track for young North Shore surfers

Young surfers across Kaua’i are moving their way up the amateur surf contest ladder with hopes of becoming professional surfers, and possibly working in the multi-billion dollar surfwear and surfboard industry when they grow up.

The teenage surfers’ role models are two-time world professional surfing champion Andy Irons and his brother Bruce Irons, both of Hanalei. Through endorsements of products, sponsorships and contest wins two brothers make livings now approaching that of famous track athletes in the United States, though not of the level that pro baseball, football and basketball players are paid.

One crew of teenage surfers who surf and travel together to contests are making their mark on Kaua’i and in contests off island. All hope to compete in Southern California this summer when national amateur events are held in Orange County at Trestles and in Oceanside.

They include Tyler Newton, Bear Bailey, Dylan Melamed and Alex Smith. All went to Hanalei School together, but now all do home schooling in part to maximize their time in the ocean.

All are training to have careers in the global surf industry, both competitively in and industry itself.

A recent report shows that the surfing industry in Hawai’i and elsewhere and throughout the world is now a$7 billion industry, up from $50 million just 10 years ago.

The surfing lifestyle is drawing customers in New York City, Paris and other capitals, as well as in suburban malls and coastal surf shops across the world.

TV programs are integrating surfing into their plot lines, and the media coverage of Hanalei shark attack victim Bethany Hamilton is still one of the biggest ongoing media stories of the past months.

The young surfers also have a digital advantage compared to their father’s generation, with live contest coverage on the Internet and the rapid release of surfing DVDs that can now be filmed with digital video cameras, edited on personal computers and output to market in months instead of the years it took to put out film movies in the past.

The DVDs clue in teenage surfers to what the hottest moves are around the world, and they practice the moves, some times outdoing the world-class surfers they are watching.

Sponsorship from surfwear companies way overshadows the free surfboards that used to be the top pay for pro surfers 20 and 30 years ago.

Now many hot young surfers on Kaua’i have sponsorships. The young Hanalei crew is being backed individually by companies ranging from Billabong to Mada to Rip Curl to Split. Some are scheduled to be featured in national ads that will appear in surfing publications based in California and elsewhere.

Other hot young surfers on Kaua’i who stand a chance at going pro include Gavin Gillette, Shane Valiere, Wyatt Taubman, Zack Arreola, Keale Chung, Aaron Hacker, Chris Eniem, Kyle Ramey, Kalani Martin and Aaron Swanson to name a few.

The Kaua’i surfers also have the advantage of being able to easily travel to the North Shore of O’ahu. There through their sponsorship connections they can mingle with top pro surfers, pick up tips on their style and how to train.

When they surf in contests on Kaua’i, in Honolulu and on the Mainland, “reps” from surfwear companies are watching them, much like pro baseball scouts have watched high school prospects for decades.

Older surfers have laid the foundation for the hot young rising surfers of Kaua’i. The years of labor of the Westside’s Nelson Togioka, and Curt and Mike Smith, along with Charlie Cowden of Hanalei S urf Company, Bob Cocke of Kai Kane, the owners of Progressive Expression, Max Medeiros owner of Hawaiian Blades surfboards and others have produced the contests the young surfers are riding to fame. This system works much like the one where baseball players work their way up in the minor leagues in hopes of making it to the majors.

Nelson’s contests, worked their way up. Charlie Cowden and Kai Kane, Progressive Expressions all helped supporting nelson, helped fly kids to complete on other islands. Kids say if we can do they can do it.

The young surfers are also being trained in water safety in programs run by County Lifeguard head Kalani Vierra, and long-time water safety expert Pat Durkin.

The upsurge in surfing competition in Hawai’i has been compared to the long-time support for young surfers found in Australia. The Australian effort is apparent in the current world professional surfing ratings where the majority of ranked surfers are from the states of Australia.