These are the groms, pro juniors, here because their sponsors want them here, I imagine. They travel the world doing just this, surfing the spots they will have to surf when and if they ever turn pro. Pacha Light is 15 and was here by herself. She was staying at the CEO of Quiksilver’s house, but she’d surf and hang out in the tent all day. Keanu Igarashi is WSL pro Kano Igarashi’s little brother. His buddy next to him, Dean Vandewalle, is from Belgium but splits his time between homes in Costa Rica, France, friends’ places in Southern California. I didn’t ask what they did about and for school. But I did eavesdrop as Keanu and Pacha compared notes on surfing in Japan.
