30| Torry Meister
Birthday: September 17, 1989
Hometown: Kona Hawaii

“The kid surfs like he’s driving a Ferrari,” describes U.S.A. surf coach Peter Townend. “He races around doing 200 mph. The only trouble, he’s gotta learn to use the brake sometimes.” Like the rest of his Big Island crew, Torrey Meister has benefited from strong, accessible heroes, powerful surf, and a frothing pack buddies to push him during every session. Along with Tonino Benson and Casey Brown, Meister has begun to branch out beyond familiar territory, spending more time on the road than in Hawaii. “He’s a very committed surfer, with a very radical approach,” said Mike Parsons while watching him surf Pipeline this winter. Competitively, Meister has proved a worthy sparring partner with the very best surfers of his generation—coming up on the losing side of a remarkable back-and-forth dog fight against Ben Dunn at the …Lost Pro Junior in Huntington last summer. He has yet to put all the pieces together and chalk up a big win, but he’s been dancing around a breakthrough for years, and if he stays hungry, and rounds out a few rough edges, word is it’ll come.