Kolohe Andino
Birthday: March 22, 1994
Hometown: San Clemente, California
Coming off two consecutive wins at the Vans Pier Classic, Kolohe Andino has solidified his reputation as one of the most heralded surfers of his generation. At only 17, he’s technically one of the most developed upstarts in the world and is already being compared to world champions and Tour veterans. Forget the fact that Lowers is one of his homebreaks and that he may know the peak better than anyone. All you really need to know is that when Kolohe hits the water for his heat, he’ll be doing so as the best 17-year-old surfer in the world.
Keanu Asing
Birthday: May 30, 1993
Hometown: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
As focused and serious as any surfer on this list, Ewa Beach’s Keanu Asing is hell bent on building a successful future in professional surfing. Extremely accomplished competitively—in the short course of his budding career, he’s garnered just about every Junior win imaginable in Hawaii—Keanu has built himself a structured lifestyle with the eventual goal of gaining a spot on the World Tour. Over the course of the past few years, Keanu has acted as a protégé to Jordy Smith where he’s learned the ins and outs of what it takes to compete at the elite level. Well-spoken, earnest, and talented, it’s going to take a lot to derail him.
Luke Davis
Birthday: January 22, 1993
Hometown: Capo Beach, California
Luke Davis continued his track to stardom with his progress in both the freesurf and competitive realms this past year. After finishing a respectable fifth overall on the North American Pro Junior tour last year, you can rest assured that Luke is looking to move up in the rankings. Perhaps his biggest impression this year, however, came in Hawaii, where he was spotted charging at sizable Pipe and Off The Wall. No stranger to the walls at Lowers, look for Luke’s Curren-esque approach to see him through the event.
Andrew Doheny
Birthday: October 20, 1992
Hometown: Newport Beach, California
As the reigning event champion, Andrew Doheny has garnered himself a reputation as an amazingly fluid freesurfer, competitor, and the man to beat going into this year’s contest. As evidenced by his strong media presence—he had a solid segment in last year’s High Five and has built a strong showing online via his blog at 3slobs.com—Doheny’s stock has reached stratospheric proportions over the past year. Don’t expect Doheny to relinquish his title without at fight.
Jack Freestone
Birthday: April 7, 1992
Hometown: Coolangatta, Australia
In the last two years, Jack Freestone has gone from a blip on the grom comp radar to both a freesurf and competitive juggernaut. Filling out quickly, he has the size and power to balance out the above-the-lip aspects of his surfing. And in a jersey, his results speak for themselves. The highlight in 2010: a world championship on the ASP World Junior Tour. Signed to a newly inked deal with Billabong in January, and with two more years among the pro junior ranks, expect to see more good things from this regular foot from Coolangatta.
Evan Geiselman
Birthday: August 31, 1993,
Hometown: New Smyrna Beach, Florida
The label “freak” is thrown around far too liberally these days, but when placed on Even Geiselman, it’s an accurate description. Evan has the rare ability to paddle out in small onshore waves and bag enough video clips to populate a YouTube channel. While his freesurfing ability is destined to make him a video star, his big breakthrough in 2010 came when he won the U.S. Open Pro Junior at Huntington Beach. Not since the Hobgoods has a goofyfoot from the eastern seaboard shown as much promise. With new roots planted in SoCal, expect fireworks from Evan at Lowers.
Caio Ibelli
Birthday: October 11, 1993
Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Caio Ibelli grew up on a small island off of the south shore of Sao Paulo called Gauruja, which is known for the same super-consistent beachbreaks that produced Adriano De Souza. In contests, Ibelli can ride through heats on the merits of his progressive airs, whips, and fin-ditches. His event-resume over the past 12 months included a Brazilian Junior Championship, the semis at the Billabong World Juniors, and a fourth-place finish on the ASP World Junior Rankings. He also spent some time in front of the cameras, landing a Surfing Magazine cover at heaving Bankvaults. While some pundits say his style still needs smoothing out, it hasn’t seemed to hurt him with the judges, or the photogs, so far.
Shaun Joubert
Birthday: May 2, 1991
Hometown: Mossel Bay, South Africa
Shaun Joubert came out the gates firing in 2011 when he finished fifth in the Hang Loose Pro Prime event in Brazil. The result came at the right time for Joubert who had—by his standards—a mediocre run in 2010. Competition aside, Shaun brings all the best elements of South African surfing to the table with a smooth style and a vicious frontside attack honed on the many right-hand pointbreaks he grew up surfing. Apart from his athletic ability, Joubert has an artistic streak that is evident in both surfing as well as his personal blog and photography.
Nat Young
Birthday: June 17, 1991
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
2010 proved to be yet another stellar year for the Santa Cruz competitive machine. After a blistering run on the junior circuit, Nat’s runner-up finish at the World Juniors almost seemed unjust for a surfer who has been such a dominant force throughout the year. Nat’s work ethic sets him apart from his peer group, but it was his part in Taylor Steele’s Innersction project that quelled any concerns about his freesurfing ability and elevated him into the realm of legitimate surf star. Although he’s downright vicious on his forehand, if the rights dominate the lineup at Lowers, expect Nat’s lightning-fast backhand to be the downfall of many of his counterparts.
