Young Guns Surf 2016 Final

It’s a strange scene. Tanks roll by a few hundred feet away, kicking up clouds of dust from California’s overcooked soil. The sound of bombs being tested in the less-than-distant hills shakes through the air. Soldiers march down the beach, with more soldiers limply draped around their necks. Enter: not the smell of napalm, but nine of the world’s best 18-and-under surfers.

Marco Mignot, Rio Waida, Kyuss King, Barron Mamiya, Kael Walsh, Cody Young, Malakai Martinez, Sandy Whittaker and Sammy Pupo are standing on the beach at a fun little wedge just outside of Oceanside, California. There will be no priority. No jerseys. No jockeying. Just raw surfing.