Ethan Ewing seemed always destined for surfing stardom. Despite injuries as a teen, he made quick work of his early pro career, dominating his years on the Australasia Junior Series. However few experts predicted him to make the leap to the Qualifying Series with such ease. In 2016 aged just 17 he finished second on the QS primarily through a runner-up finish in the US Open of Surfing.

At the end of that year, he iced the cake by claiming the World Junior Championships. Ewing’s combination of smooth, powerful, and mistake-free rail surfing seemed steeped in influence from surfing’s most renowned style masters. He was, perhaps unhelpfully, often compared to the likes of Andy Irons and Joel Parkinson. However, his rookie year on the CT in 2017 proved difficult.

Still only 18 and having grown up on the sleepy island of North Stradbroke in a close-knit surfing family, the pressures and expectations may have proved too much as he finished as the World No. 34. He came close to making the cut in the 2018 QS season but showed further maturity in getting over that disappointment. At the end of 2019 back-to-back Finals at Haleiwa and Sunset ensured his CT place for 2020. The pandemic postponed his CT return, but in 2021 he emerged more confident and assured. Quarterfinals in Narrabeen and the Surf Ranch secured his qualification with relative ease. Meanwhile, a series of freesurfing clips cemented his reputation as one of the stylish surfers on the planet. “Ethan surfs that good he should target a World Title,” said CT legend Jeremy Flores. Over to you Ethan.

Instagram: @ethan_ewing