Luke Marks Melbourne Beach, FL Photo: Nate Adams/ESM
Wondering about the future of East Coast surfing? Look no further than the young Floridian, Luke Marks. Let’s just say that when the very first Belmar Pro came to town, Marks was only five years old. This Melbourne Beach kid regularfoot has a tight air game and cracked the tough line-up at Sebastian Inlet at a young age. By 10, he had already traveled to more surf spots than most do in a lifetime. Marks’ record already speaks for itself with NSSA East Coast Championships and great results in the Surfing America Prime series, the most recent being second place at the Surfing America Prime in New Smyrna in March. He’s also been thoroughly blowing up in Florida.
Noah Schweizer, New Smyrna Beach, FL Photo: Nate Adams/ESM
Floridians have always been a force at the Belmar Pro and after Nils Schweizer put on a few rip clinics at 18th Ave., now young regularfoot,Noah is garnering his own attention. His NSSA Regional record speaks for itself with a 2012 Explorer Juniors win, 2011 Airshow win and 2010 Open Juniors win. This year, he’s already got a semifinal result at the Ron Jons Vans Junior. He was runner up at last year’s Fins Pro Junior in Belmar. And like most Florida guys, he has the freesurf spin game to back it all up.
Kalani David Sunset Beach, HI ~ Photo: courtesy RVCA
Don’t be surprised if you see a young Hawaiian lighting up the Belmar Skatepark at 16th Ave. and Railroad Avenue. It might be 15-year-old Kalani David, of the North Shore. David, who made the finals of the Fosters Belmar Pro last year, is one of the greatest modern surf/skate crossover athletes. He won the Belmar Am weekend Boys division in 2010, aced the 2012 NSSA Open Juniors and recently took the North Shore Surf Shop Pipeline Junior Pro. Who can forget the skinny young kid dropping sick air reverses off the Eighteenth Ave. jetty last year in the finals? David likes to keep the surf and skate constants in his life. He’s also a pretty solid drummer. His goals are to make the ASP World Tour, but for now watch out for him in the Fosters Pro and the Fins Junior.
Mikey Ciaramella Stone Harbor, NJ Photo: Joe Ciaramella
New Jersey’s next likely competitive threat may come from a very unlikely place – Stone Harbor. And that kid may be the 2010 Belmar Amateur Weekend Jr. champ, Mikey Ciaramella. In 2013, he had the highest wave score of day 2, making his way to the Fins Pro Junior Semifinal, one of the best results for a New Jersey surfer in Belmar. With competitive smarts of a surfer much more experienced, Ciaramella has completely owned the amateur ranks in South Jersey for years. He also took third in Explorer Mens at the NSSA Easterns. He event posted a very impressive equal third place at the very competitive Garden State Grudge Match in 2012, before heading off to college at UCSD where he continues to put up big results.
Parker Coffin Santa Barbara, CA Photo: Stockdale
It was a wild weekend back in September 2011. On the same day that brother Conner Coffin surfed his first ASP World Tour event at Trestles, Parker Coffin won the Fins Pro Junior at the Belmar Pro in chunky nor’easter conditions. Coffin was pretty much destined to win after his second place finish the year before. He backed it up with another final birth in 2013. Coffin, from Santa Barbara, a former national NSSA champ, is one of the most exciting up and comers in the country. His most recent ASP win was the Sprite Soup Bowl Pro Junior last year.
By Kenny Hurtado/Vissla
Cam Richards Garden City, SC Photo: Kenny Hurtado
Most of the world knows Cam Richards as the surfer who went head-to-head with Dane Reynolds in a social media battle in 2013 to see who would get a wildcard slot into the Hurley Pro at Trestles. But in Belmar, we know him as an East Coaster who rips. Every year, he comes up from Garden City, South Carolina and sets the place on fire in the Pro and Junior Pro. He is a six-time NSSA East Coast Champ and in 2011 won the National NSSA Open Mens title. His best finish to date in Belmar was third place in the Fins Jr. in 2012. Earlier this year, he won the 2-star Ron Jon/Vans Junior Pro over Parker Coffin. Now riding for Vissla, he is very due for a big result in Belmar.
One of the smartest young competitors, Nic HDez is on the way up. HDez has surfed Belmar a few times and knows the ropes. This year, he was selected to US National team and surfed the ISA World Juniors in Ecuador and got his biggest result by capturing the under-18 National Title at the Surfing America Championships at Trestles in June. Competing since he was a grom, HDez already has an Under-15 NSSA West Coast Championship. Riding for Channel Islands and Quiksilver, and training with ASP Rookie of the Year and good friend Nat Young are all steps in the right direction.
