Just one 15-minute competitive surfing heat with six riders vying for position to capture the two best waves is physically and mentally draining. Anticipation tension, pressure, and performance all come into play.

When you consider what Nathan Rex did this past three-day weekend, you have to give the kid an ocean full of credit.

He qualified and surfed in the two most competitive divisions for Hawai‘i’s State Championships. He also managed to progress thru each division surfing countless 15-minute heats while taking down Hawai‘i’s best riders from Hilo to Hanalei.

And then, in the finals he came up triumphant in the most grueling highly aggressive 15-17 year old division, as well as the more experienced, more strategic Open Mens Division.