“ The Brooks is for sure my favorite contest . Having the whole town surrounding the event along with being able to surf heats with all the boys beats anything ,” says Saunders , 18 . “[ I ] can ’ t thank Brandy [ Faber ] enough for putting the contest on along with Laguna Surf & Sport — they crush it every year .”

When it comes to competing , Saunders made the National Scholastic Surfing Association ’ s U16 Juniors National Final a couple of years ago and has picked up some regional titles and solid finishes over the years . He ’ s also currently ranked No . 81 in the World Surf League Men ’ s Qualifying Series .

“ I definitely hope to get that rating up in the future , but you have to start somewhere ,” he says . “ I am not all that focused on the QS at this point . I am heading to college in the fall and plan to still surf the QS as well as college events . … Overall , [ I ’ m ] proud of these achievements and excited to build on them .”

He plans to attend San Diego ’ s Point Loma Nazarene University and join the surf team . It makes sense that he would carve this path : Before he was in kindergarten , he was already

Hudson Saunders getting air at Brooks Street

GO-TO PLACES IN TOWN Laguna Surf & Sport —“ I have logged a lot of hours in that store .” Also South Swell Donuts and he misses Banzai Bowl , which closed last fall . “ My favorite steak is at Selanne [ Steak Tavern ] and we eat at Wine Gallery a lot . For takeout , we do Thai Bros . the most — great Thai food ; they keep getting better and better . I love the snacks at The Salt Horse as well , [ and ] sushi at Seabutter .” FAVORITE LOCAL SURF SPOT “ Nothing quite beats home — we do get some great waves here . Even if it ’ s not great , being able to surf with all my buddies is at the top for me .” FAVORITE GLOBAL SURF SPOT Tavarua , Fiji BUCKET LIST SURF DESTINATION Australia and the Maldives SURFING STYLE “ I am working on my power game [ and ] throwing more spray . I could use a few more pounds , but I am happy with technique and plan to get stronger and faster .” HIS BOARD Currently trying out different ones . “ Hoping to get it all dialed in soon .” OTHER HOBBIES Golf , pickleball with the boys and snowboarding in winter

riding waves .

“ Surfing came into the picture when I was around 3 years old . My dad would put a life jacket on me , put me on the nose of his board and paddle out to Rockpile on smaller [ wave ] days . I was terrified . I would yell for my mom and my dad would tell me that ‘ There is no crying in surfing ,’ ” he says , laughing now as he recalls it . “… Ever since then , it ’ s become the constant staple in my life over the years and I love it .”

Saunders says he feels fortunate to have grown up here . “ The camaraderie of Laguna is awesome ,” he says . “ Being such a small town , the community is very strong and has a lot of passion towards the ocean . We have great beaches and people . I love being in the Laguna ‘ bubble .’ ”

Notably , he ’ s on the Laguna Surf & Sport team . “ I am still sponsored by them and love being a part of the family ,” Saunders says . And , while he rode for Quiksilver for seven years , he recently switched over to Roark . “[ I ’ m ] super happy to be a part of a brand with strong Laguna roots [ and ] excited for the future with them ,” he says .

Saunders also enjoys traveling to surf , from Mexico to Bali , Costa Rica , Hawaii and the Outer Banks of North Carolina . “ Fiji and Barra de la Cruz in Mexico are my two favorite spots ,” he shares . “… [ And ] I had a lot of fun in Barbados — shockingly good surf for the Caribbean .”

Saunders says surfing always makes him feel better . “ No matter what , it always brings up the mood ,” he says . “ Along with being in nature , [ it ’ s ] just never a bad time and you can have fun alone or with a group of friends .”

Off the coast of Tavarua , Fiji

TOP : NATHAN SWEET

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