Some of Hawai'i's best young surfers are hoping to heat up — in and out of the water — at Ecuador next week.

The Verizon Wireless Hawai'i Junior Surf Team departed Honolulu last night for the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Salinas, Ecuador.

The competition will start Sunday and run through April 5. It is considered the top event for surfers age 18 and younger.

"It's going to be extremely hot, I know that," Hawai'i coach Rainos Hayes said. "Temperatures will probably be 90 to 95, around there. Other than that, we really don't know what to expect because Ecuador is going to be a new experience for all of us."

Approximately 250 surfers representing close to 30 countries from around the world are expected to participate. Hawai'i is recognized as its own team for the event because of its storied history in the sport (the United States will have a separate team).

"We'll work on controlling what we can, and that's being ambassadors of aloha, ambassadors for Hawai'i, and ambassadors for the sport," Hayes said. "At this event, a lot of people look to us just because we're Hawai'i — the birthplace of surfing. We take a lot of pride in that."

Team Hawai'i is also looking to take more medals.

Hawai'i won a bronze medal for placing third in the team standings during last year's contest at Portugal. Australia won the gold and Brazil the silver.

"The competition will be solid," Hayes said. "Obviously, Australia has to be looked at as a favorite because they're such a big country with a lot of support. And Brazil has an edge just because they'll be a little more accustomed to the conditions."

Each team is allowed to bring a roster of 12 surfers: four in the Boys 18 division, four in the Boys 16 division, and four in the Girls 18 division.

Members of Team Hawai'i are: Kyle Galtes, Dylan Goodale, Tanner Hendrickson and Albee Layer in the Boys 18 division; Keanu Asing, Matty Costa, Kaimana Jaquias and Ezekiel Lau in the Boys 16 division; and Leila Hurst, Malia Manuel, Nage Melamed and Alessa Quizon in the Girls 18 division.

Returnees from last year's team are Goodale, Hendrickson, Asing, Costa, Hurst, Manuel and Quizon.

"This contest is different because you're representing Hawai'i, not just yourself," Asing said. "It's tough. There's so many good surfers there."

One of Hayes' concerns is the waves — or lack thereof.

"The contest runs for eight straight days, so there's no guarantee of quality waves," he said. "There is the possibility of some really thin, weak waves. But if you surf on one of those days, you just have to stay focused and make the most of it."

Another concern is the travel. It will take Team Hawai'i almost 48 hours (including airport layovers) to get from Honolulu to Salinas.

"We'll have to deal with jet lag the first few days, but there's no way around that," Hayes said.

Team Hawai'i received a significant financial boost this year from Verizon Wireless and Hard Rock Cafe. For the most part, the sponsors covered the travel costs for the surfers.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much that helped," Hayes said. "In past years, the parents were so worried about paying for the trip. In a time when the world is so chaotic, we're treating this trip as a gift and we're hoping to do something special with it."