Meet the world’s best groms! Here’s: Kael Walsh

Interview by Matt Hoy | All photos by Ricardo Bravo Right now, the world’s 10 best under 18 surfers are in Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha, for the final of Quiksilver’s 2015 King Of The Groms. While they’re there, we’ll be profiling the kids who are keeping the future of surfing bright – as interview by the vibrant Matt Hoy. Today, let’s meet… Kael Walsh! My name’s Kael John Walsh. Named after John Bon Jovi. Ha, not really. I’m 16. I’m from Yallingup, Western Australia. My favourite wave is North Point. Some people say it’s the best righthander in the world. My favourite board dimensions are 5’9”x 2’3/16” by maybe 18’3/16”… they’re Channel Islands, I’ve been riding the Rookie 15 lately. I think I ride around 24 and a half litres. The best thing about Brazil is the girls and the waves. Sebastian Williams has been really ripping in the King Of The Groms. He’s the standout. He’s been doing big airs, good combos and big carves. The thing I most like about King Of The Groms is the different format, it’s different to a normal contest, less pressure and way more fun because of it. I want Julian to win the World Title this year, but I think Mick will. Julian is a long shot, but still has a shot. The best surfer in the world right now is John John Florence. If you gave me a million dollars right now I’d buy some shares. But if the stock market busted, it’d be shithouse. I’d invest in… something that has good shares. Water? Ha. Three things I’d take to a deserted island: Surfboard, food and water. Ten years from now I obviously hope to be a pro surfer – just doing any kind of professional surfing. I’d like to be a good freesurfer and on tour, not just doing one thing. You can get hell bored of it, you’ve got to balance it out. I’ll do whatever pays the most. Ha! I’m most scared of sharks. I haven’t seen any before but I’ve been called in cause there was a shark out the back. It’s always scary to surf by yourself in WA. I only do it when I’m really keen. The biggest influence at my local break is Taj Burrow. Or, maybe Jay Davies. I surf with Jay a fair bit. He’s super nice but when you surf with him… he takes a lot of waves (laughs). Taj will give you a couple, he’s a bit more chilled. The biggest influence on my surfing would’ve been Snake when he was a bit younger. Now, I love the way Dusty surfs. He’s raw and powerful, and does big airs.