"We've been running these contests for three years now, and by far, Hawai'i has the deepest talent pool," said Rip Curl event director Darren Brilhart. "I've been especially impressed with the young group — the 12-and-under guys. There's incredible talent here at that young age."

The Grom Search also makes stops in California, New Jersey, Florida, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Europe and South Africa.

The Grom Search features four divisions: boys 16-and-younger, girls 16-and-younger, boys 14-and-younger, and boys 12-and-younger.

After a full day of surfing in waves of 1 to 4 feet, four Hawai'i champions emerged: Mason Ho (boys 16), Lani Hunter (girls 16), Derek Wong (boys 14) and Hizson Lin-Kee (boys 12).

"There's the potential to get a lot of exposure through this event," Brilhart said. "Not just in your hometown, but around the world."

The top Hawai'i performers from yesterday's finals were invited to a national contest in November at Salt Creek, Calif. The top performers from the national event will then represent the United States at an international contest in Australia next March.

"There's no big prize money involved, but the prestige and exposure is what really makes this a big thing," Brilhart said. "And I expect some of these Hawaiian kids to be there in Australia."

Ho, a junior-to-be at Kahuku High, is a good candidate.

He was the standout surfer of the day in the boys 16 division. Early in the final, he received a score of 9.5 for completing a series of radical maneuvers on a 4-foot wave. He then clinched the victory by completing a 360-degree aerial spin for a score of 8.3.

"I practice all the time with my dad and he really pushes me, gets me ready for contests like this," Ho said.

His father happens to be surfing legend Michael Ho. Mason's uncle, former world champion Derek Ho, also played a role yesterday.

Mason came back to Hawai'i last week from a surfing trip, but his surfboards got stuck in California. So yesterday, he borrowed one of "Uncle Derek's" boards.

"I never use a new board for a contest, but I had to for this one," Mason said. "I'm just glad it worked out."

In the girls 16 final, Hunter continued her summer success in Hawai'i. The home-school student from Punalu'u clinched the victory with a score of 7.5 late in the heat.

"The conditions were horrible in the morning, so that's when I was having a hard time," said Hunter, who won two other prestigious amateur contests in June. "But it got better later in the day, so I started doing better."

Wong may have been the most consistent surfer of the day.

He scored a perfect 10 for a barrel ride in the semifinals of the boys 14 division, then won the final with scores of 7.5 and 6.0.

"This is my home break," said Wong, who will be a freshman at Roosevelt High this fall. "I come here all the time after school to surf with my friends, so I'm used to the waves."

Some of the biggest and best waves of the day rolled in for the smallest surfers — the boys 12 division. Lin-Kee responded by "sitting deep and catching all the good ones."

"I was on the outside all by myself; it was fun," said Lin-Kee, who will be an eighth-grader at Wai'anae Intermediate.

Because of the success of yesterday's contest, Brilhart said Rip Curl will make Hawai'i an annual stop on its Grom Search tour.

Final results

Boys 16-younger: 1, Mason Ho. 2, Torrey Meister. 3, Lance Gruver. 4, Stu Cornuelle. 5, Pancho Peterson. 6, Kyle Ramey. Girls 16-younger: 1, Lani Hunter. 2, Marissa Matsusaka. 3, Ashley Hunter. 4, Sarah Medoff. 5, Coco Ho. 6, Kalle Krebs. Boys 14-younger: 1, Derek Wong. 2, Alex Smith. 3, Clay Marzo. 4, Chas Chidester. 5, Brennan Boudreau. 6, Dylan Goodale. Boys 12-younger: 1, Hizson Lin-Kee. 2, Ezekiel Lau. 3, Keanu Asing. 4, Matthew Costa. 5, Dylan Goodale. 6, Kiron Jabour.