In light of your experience filming with the Young Guns guys, how important is it for grommets, no matter how good they are, to go surf with guys who’re older and better than them?

I think it’s really important because if you’re not surfing with guys who’re a level above you, you don’t have anyone to push you and you don’t have a bar that’s set that you want to get to.

Did that happen for you during the Young Guns thing?

Yeah, definitely. Just seeing them do those crazy spinner things I just went out there and tried to do a few bigger turns—I didn’t make most of them but I ended up sticking a few. It pushed me a lot to try and do the stuff they were doing.

Drawing on that experience, how much has your surfing changed in the past year?

I think when I started hanging out with the other Young Guns guys I was just your basic grommet. I mean, I could surf, but I think they helped me get to another level. I’m trying to get up to where they are now. I’ve got a bit of work to do, but after seeing how Julian evolved from the second Young Guns to the third one, it really motivated me.