KEY POINTS:
He only learned to surf two years ago, but already Matt Hewitt is turning heads.
The Mt Maunganui 15-year-old came third at the world junior championships in Portugal - a feat surfing pros say is remarkable considering his recent start.
"It's amazing how good he's got," New Zealand
juniors coach Larry Fisher said. "Surfing's a really hard sport. It takes years to get good [but] he's already at international level."
Fisher said Hewitt was one of the "standout performers" at the worlds, exhibiting an unpredictable, explosive style while competing against others in his age group who had been surfing for at least 10 years.
"He's got a huge range of manoeuvres in his repertoire," Fisher said. "He could potentially go all the way if he keeps doing what he's doing."
And that is exactly what Hewitt is planning.
"I'm aiming to get even better and just try and win a world title," he said. Hewitt leaves for competitions in Australia and Indonesia this month and ultimately wants to surf the WCT (world championship tour) circuit with the likes of his idol Kelly Slater.
Hewitt's admiration for the eight-times world champion is telling. "Look how many world titles he's won, it's amazing," he said. Hewitt also admires New Zealand surfers Maz Quinn and Bobby Hansen, but is generally oblivious to competition, showing little concern for who was in his heats in Portugal.
Said Fisher: "He went out there believing in himself and it showed."
Hewitt said being a latecomer to the sport helped, simply because he still did not know many of the big names, while his mother, Michelle, said his mental strength accounted for a lot. "His nerves do not take over," she said.
The fact that Hewitt comes from a family of watersport champions also has an obvious bearing on his outlook.
Michelle jet-skied competitively in the family's native South Africa, while Hewitt's father, Russell, and grandfather Lewis were national sailing champions.
Hewitt got into the sport when he headed to the beach and hooked up with a group of boys who surfed.
"It just took off from there, I just went out surfing every day, no matter what - raining, middle of winter, just whenever there was surf."
Fisher said "the sky's the limit" for Hewitt, who is sponsored by Billabong.
Hewitt takes the accolades in his stride, saying he owes a lot to his family and supporters. "It's real good to have people behind you all the way and believing in you."