“I’m growing up, I guess,” tells Arrambide of his recent graduation from Junior League surfing. “It seems weird. It’s a big world out there; I hope I’m ready. I think am.” Born into a surf family as the youngest of three kids it was pretty much a given that from Day One Arrambide would spend his days in the water. Growing up in the tradition-rich Ventura area, at an early age Arrambide benefited not only from the tremendous variety of quality surf in his area, but also from the wide range of influences he watched in the lineup on a daily basis. Elder statesmen like Tom Curren and Shaun Tomson tickling the Queen of the Coast, not to mention stylist Bobby Martinez swooning her with his seductive backhand, and when they’re not out urchin fishing, soul guys like the Malloys offer an alternative perspective. Then there are tricksters like Tim Curran who day-in and day-out experiment in the Oxnard throaty beachbreaks. And lest we forget good old-fashion freaks of nature like Dane Reynolds leading the youth charge. With those kind of educators serving as examples, it’s no wonder a kid like Arrambide is turning heads right out of high school. So what does he have planned after graduation? Well, he’s been working with a personal trainer who’s helped him return to form after a torn meniscus, but more than that, it looks like he’s going to be spending plenty of time crisscrossing the country taking his entrance exams, for lack of a better term. “I’ve got a lot on my plate,” he admits. “But I love it. Just to have an opportunity, you’ve got to make the most of it.”