Some of Hawai'i's best young surfers are hoping to come up big in the small surf at Huntington Beach, Calif., next week.

More than 25 countries are expected to compete in the Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships, which is scheduled to start tomorrow and run through Oct. 16.

Because of its rich surfing history, Hawai'i is allowed to compete as its own nation for the contest.

"I think that's how it should be," Hawai'i coach Rainos Hayes said. "Other countries might have more surfers to choose from, but talent-wise, we feel like we can compete with the best."

There will be three divisions at the world contest: boys under 18, boys under 16, and girls under 18.

"This event ranks really high because it is for the best surfers in the world at this age," Hayes said. "And what I like about it is the team concept. They're not just surfing as individuals, but they're representing where they're from."

Representing Hawai'i in the boys under 18 division will be Casey Brown, Mason Ho, Torrey Meister and Dusty Payne. In the boys under 16 division will be Tonino Benson, Granger Larsen, Hizson Lin-Kee and Clay Marzo. In the Girls under 18 division will be Coco Ho, Lani Hunter, Malia Manuel and Carissa Moore.

"We tried to put together the most consistent team because it's a long week of surfing," Hayes said. "So we monitored the progress of all the top surfers during the summer and chose the ones we thought showed the most progress."

However, Hayes said he is concerned about the potential for small waves and a cold ocean next week.

"Obviously, we're used to bigger waves being from Hawai'i," Hayes said. "But we know what we're up against. We've been practicing in small surf. We'll be ready for anything."

Kaua'i surfers Bethany Hamilton and Alana Blanchard did not try out for the Hawai'i team, so they were selected to the USA team in the Girls under 18 division.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.