How To Get Barreled Like a 10-Year-Old

When you’re Pete Mendia’s kid, you’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill, and even bigger sideburns to grow. Pete, of course, is the OG Florida pro known primarily for his tube-riding skills, vicious hacks, and trademarked mutton chops. But perhaps Pete’s greatest skill (as proven by the video above) is being a kickass father figure. 

In the clip, we discover that Pete’s 10-year-old son, Kepa, has taken his dad’s aggressive approach and applied it to all walks of life. The 8-second shirtless, shoeless wheelie is commendable, but Kepa’s ability in the tube is beyond any 10-year-old I’ve seen, except for maybe John John.

Skip to the clip at 1:53. Watch as Kepa waits at the top of the wave, allowing the wall to jack up behind him, his eyes shooting lasers down the line. Watch as he pops into a perfect pigdog stance, free-falls to the bottom, and lands with weight on the inside rail, thus maintaining his speed toward the exit. 

Not deep enough for you? Skip to 2:12. Watch as Kepa disappears behind a section longer than anything Hermes rode at Kirra. Watch as he doesn’t claim. 

It doesn’t take a genius to see that this kid is a born n’ bred Tube Pig, and I think for the sake of surfing’s future, it’s imperative that Papa Pete gets his kid barreled all around the world before the age of 15. Kepa has the attitude and ability to become a world-class tube rider, so the sooner he can experience real waves in place like Hawaii, Tahiti, and Indo, the better.

We’ll be keeping an eye out, both for Kepa’s international tube jaunts and his impending facial hair.