LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i’s Nathan Carvalho, 18, took top honors in the opening rounds of the Fins Pro Junior, posting the highest single wave score of an 8.17 while logging the event’s highest heat total of an impressive 16.00 out of
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i’s Nathan Carvalho, 18, took top honors in the opening rounds of the Fins Pro Junior, posting the highest single wave score of an 8.17 while logging the event’s highest heat total of an impressive 16.00 out of 20 to advance through two heats.
The second stop on the Association of Surfing Professionals North America Pro Junior Series, the ASP Grade-1 Fins Pro Junior, marched through two rounds Friday with Hurricane Igor delivering clean three-to-five foot surf to Belmar, N.J.
The Fins Pro allows up-and-coming ASP North America Pro Junior talent the chance to build their seed amongst the region’s top ASP Junior competitors, according to an ASP press release.
Top rated surfers at the finish of the regional series qualify for the prestigious ASP World Junior Tour.
“These really good waves just came in,” Carvalho said. “We had these fun, wedgy, offshore little barrels and peaks and it’s supposed to get better (Saturday).”
The talented Hawaiian was forced to start Fins Pro Junior competition in Round 1 due to a late entry, but Carvalho looked at losing his event seed as a way to warm up in the early rounds before tackling the top competitors of Fins Pro Junior competition.
“It’s good to surf some extra heats before surfing with the top seeds,” Carvalho said. “I’d usually be bummed that I didn’t get my seed, but I didn’t care in this event, I just wanted to surf.”
Carvalho felt pressure to post top results on the East Coast after the committing travel from Hawai‘i on his first trip to the North East, and after a successful ninth place finish at the Nike 6.0 Unsound Junior Pro in New York, he’s hoping to find success again at the Fins Pro Junior.
“There is a bit of pressure to get a good result coming over from Hawai‘i,” Carvalho said. “I got a good result in New York as well, so I’m hoping I can get another one here in New Jersey. I like it here. New York was crazy and I like New Jersey too. It’s just a cool little town here.”
The Fins Pro Junior will continue today with the Round of 32.
