John John Florence

John's personal resume is already impressive, and he's still only a teenager:

• three National NSSA titles, including the Boys Open, Menehune and MiniGrom divisions;
• eight prestigious Rell Sun Menehune contest titles (his first at just five years old); and
• he is the youngest surfer to ever compete in the Triple Crown of Surfing on the famed North Shore – he was 13.

But it's his potential beyond those early achievements that has the surf world curiously waiting to see what John Florence will accomplish next. He has evolved from a prodigy surfer with huge potential to becoming the quintessential Hawaiian surfer and a skilled rider who is capable of hoisting multiple World Championship titles.

Now 18, John has matured to compete against the world's best and there's little doubt that he will continue to whip turns and attract attention well into the future. He went four rounds deep into the Pipeline Masters a few years back, weaving through huge barrels against the world's elite. Shortly after impressing at Pipe, John found himself back in the barrel at the Volcom Pipeline Pro, where he reached the semifinals.

Malia Manuel

Surfing has been engrained in Malia's blood since she was born. As a baby, her parents would take turns watching her on the sand while the other would catch waves on the beaches of Kauai. As soon as she turned three years old, Malia started surfing with them.

Born and raised in the small lush town of Wailua, Malia has been highly influenced by her culture. Her father is Hawaiian and her mother is from the mainland, however, Malia is 100 percent Aloha. She fully embraces her culture, including a love for the ocean.

Growing up in Hawaii, she has been influenced by legendary surfers in her backyard, making her style progressive and fluid, yet incredibly graceful and poised.

Corey Lopez

Cory Lopez is a man of extremes. Emerging from the shadows of the notoriously wave barren Gulf Coast of Florida, Cory likes to charge massive, barreling waves. Defined as much by the waves he doesn't make as much as the ones he does, Cory's exploits keep everyone guessing just what he will drop into next.

In 1999,just two seasons deep into his WCT career, Cory was in Tahiti for the Gotcha Tahiti Pro. Though he qualified for the tour on his first attempt, he describes his first two seasons as "mediocre." A seasoned surfer, favoring heavy waves like Pipeline, Cory was known on tour as a flashy trickster with his big airs and freakish layback tailslides and snaps. In 1999, however, he paddled in to a monstrous Teahupoo death barrel, and was quickly engulfed by an abyss of blue.

Sage Erikson

At 20 years old, Sage Erickson is a lot like the surroundings of her upbringing – part country, part surf, and full of life. Sage was born in Ojai, Calif., raised on the North Shore, taught herself to surf as a kid and continues to love life as a professional surfer. She is equally comfortable surfing an international contest as she is conducting on-camera interviews or hosting a fashion show in front of a crowd full of screaming fans.

It's that competitive drive and playful spirit that sets this straight-A student apart from most of her peers, both in and out of the water.

Mark Matthews

When the swell forecasts predict waves over 40 feet, that's when Australian Mark Matthews starts getting excited. The Australian surfer will drop everything to get to big surf. He prefers his waves thick, slabby, hollow – think Teahupoo, but even scarier – and is constantly redefining the limits of waves humans can physically ride.

When Mark was just a kid, he was terrified of big waves. "I remember being 12 or 13 and if the surf was big, my mum would have to come rescue me," said Mark whose entire family surfs.

Alize Arnaud

Current European Champion, Alize Arnaud is one highly dedicated and talented surfer. Having strived to be a professional surfer since the age of 5, and dominated the junior circuit, there is no doubt that the 20 year old French surfer is going to be pushing her sport for many years to come.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• 5th ASP World Junior Championships 2006
• ASP European Junior Champion 2008
• 5th ISA World Junior Championships 2006
• 2nd Rip Curl Gromsearch International Final 2006
• ISA Tag Team World Champion 2006
• 2nd Eurosurf Junior 2008
• Queen of the Groms 2005
• French Junior Champion 2005, 2007