1. Erin Brooks, 15-year-old barrel rider, aims for the Olympics

(Photo courtesy of Erin Brooks)

At just 15, Erin Brooks is pushing the limits of women's surfing in the air and in big barrels. Brooks lives on the North Shore of Oahu but originally hails from Boerne, Texas. She lived in Texas until she was 9 years old when her family moved to Hawaii. When she arrived in the islands, she got invited to a surf lesson and she has been hooked ever since. This year, she won gold in the Girls U-16 division at the ISA World Junior Championship in El Salvador, earning Canada its first-ever Junior medal.

2. Moana Jones Wong, 23-year-old Queen of Pipe, aims for the Championship Tour

Moana Jones Wong at the Pipeline Pro. (Photo courtesy of World Surf League/Brian Bielmann)

Moana Jones Wong seemed to come out of nowhere to win the first women’s Billabong Pipeline Pro in 2021, beating out five-time world champion Carissa Moore. But Wong didn’t come out of nowhere. She was born and raised on Oahu’s North Shore, has been surfing since before she could walk and competing in surf contests since she was 13 years old. Her favorite wave to ride is Pipeline — even though she is often the only girl in the lineup.  

3. Pua DeSoto, 17-year-old power surfer, hopes to 'raise the Hawaiian flag up around the world'

(Photo courtesy of World Surf League/Tony Heff)

At just 17, Pua DeSoto is bringing her fierce style of surfing to women’s professional surfing. When she was 11 years old, DeSoto said she decided she wanted to be a professional surfer. While surfing has been a male-dominant sport during her lifetime, she said in ancient Hawaii, that wasn’t the case. Instead, Hawaiian stories feature goddesses who used surf competitions to win “valleys and valleys of land.” She said being a young Hawaiian woman in surfing is powerful. 

4. Native Hawaiian surfer Ēwelei‘ula Wong hopes to make Hawaiian language heard more often in the surf world

Ēweleiʻula Wong at the Haleiwa Challenger. (Photo courtesy of World Surf League/Tony Heff)

Ēweleiʻula Wong, 17, is one of just a few female pro surfers who has attended Hawaiian immersion language school since preschool. Now, she hopes to spread the Hawaiian language and culture through surfing. The Wahiawa competitor’s love of surfing started when she was just 2 years old. This past year, she made a strong entrance into the professional surf world. In May, she won the U-18 girls division at the 2022 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her ideas and feedback at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.