4 |  Carissa Moore
Birthday:August 27, 1992
Hometown:Honolulu, Hawaii

When Carissa Moore first appeared in the viewfinders of surf photographers worldwide, her age hadn’t even hit double digits. To date, she has a record nine NSSA national titles, and, on top of that, she’s begun entering and winning the boys’ division in grommet contests at venues like Kewalo Basin. “I don’t want it to sound like the girls aren’t a challenge,” her dad, Chris, told the press after that particular victory this August, “but the boys are more aggressive and I felt like it would be a good test for Carissa.” Now 14, Moore’s also taking out top-level talent in select WQS events—as evidenced by her run this year at the Haleiwa OP Pro—and has been hyped as a definite world-title contender for years. Only a freshman in high school, however, Moore claims she’ll get her diploma before going full bore into her professional career, which, in this day and age, where many groms receive—and are expected to accomplish—too much too early, is a sign that burnout won’t be an issue.