22| Damien Fahrenfort
Birthday: November 10, 1988
Hometown: Capetown, South Africa Consider yourself warned, Jordy Smith isn’t the only South African you’re going to have to worry about in the near future. Standing close to 6’4”, Damien Fahrenfort is the tallest member of the young Dark Continent crop you’ve been hearing more and more about. Its only a matter of time before Fahrenfort shows, like Smith already has, he’s out to do some serious damage. At the 2006 Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay he smoked James Wood and Laurie Towner in the trials, but more importantly, he sent both Damien Hobgood and Fred Pattachia home early after serving up defeats to both of them. In the same event the year before, Fahrenfort took down C.J. Hobgood in the second round. He is also the 2006 Billabong Junior Series champion. And thanks to the amazing variety of surf found in South Africa, he’s hardly a one-trick pony. His versatility in waves of all shapes and sizes will continue to translate into competitive successes. 23| James Wood
Birthday: May 11, 1986
Hometown: Lennox Head, Australia With a staring roll in Jack McCoy’s ode to Joel Parkinson, Free as a Dog, James Wood has already asserted himself as a viable video star. But combine that with multiple competitive successes, most notably an Under 16 World Title in the 2002 ISA World Junior Surfing Championships and an Under 18 title in the 2004 games, and this class clown becomes very bankable. He’s proved Ben Dunn to be beatable, and as just about every surfer that’s ever traveled with him will testify, he’s a source of constant entertainment. But underlying the comedy routine is an up-and-comer who takes his surfing quite serious. Developing a knack for putting his board in all the right places at all the right times while growing up in the points around Lennox and Byron Bay, he runs with a pack of some of the most talented surfers to ever come out of Australia. A creative regular-footer, his aerial repertoire is hardly limited, and when it comes to staying on the wave face, his style allows for very little wasted movement. 24| Granger Larsen
Birthday: February 3, 1990
Hometown: Lahaina, Hawaii The little brother in the family of Maui performers, Granger Larson is evidence that talent runs deep on the Valley Isle. Sharing remarkable similarities with Bruce Irons, Larson’s impeccable style—all the way down to his hand jive and his penchant for big maneuvers —make him a very eye-pleasing surfer. “I’ve learned a lot watching him,” says Santa Cruz’s Nat Young. “He’s so smooth. When he’s riding he never seems to fall out of rhythm.” Thanks to his Hawaiian upbringing, he also has no problems in big surf, slowly garnering a reputation at Pipeline that will serve him well as he continues to blossom. Whether it’s on the ISA, the ASP or the NSSA circuit, he’s a proven competitor. He’s taken out Dusty Payne and Clay Marzo in heats, and for now it seems like the only thing slowing Larsen down is his need to gain a few pounds and add a bit of power to his turns, which right now focus more on setting the fins free than following the rail line. |
