COSTA RICAN SURFING'S NEW PROSPECTS

Under-16 talent writing the future of Costa Rican waves

 

A Champion Factory Under Construction

Costa Rica has consolidated its place as one of Latin America's most dynamic surfing nations. This is no accident: two coastlines with world-class waves, a National Circuit structured into 19 categories, and an ecosystem of families, coaches, and coastal communities that develop athletes with unusual seriousness for their age. The 2025 National Circuit saw over 250 registered surfers participate, 27 of whom qualified for the ALAS Global Tour continental finals, positioning the national championship as one of the best in the region.

The 2026 outlook shows that this talent pool has deepened even further. Based on the 2026 CNS LAFISE National Ranking—which compiles the results of the circuit's first three events—this article identifies the most outstanding athletes in the under-16 and younger categories: young people whose technical level, competitive precocity, and international presence mark them as the main prospects for Costa Rican surfing in the next decade.

The Names to Watch

Mikela Castro Bolívar — The Phenomenon from Limón

At just 11 years old, Mikela Castro Bolívar is the most extraordinary name in Costa Rican surfing right now. According to the 2026 national ranking, she simultaneously leads the Girls (under-16), Female Grommets (under-14), and Female Junior categories, with a perfect score in all three events in the latter two. In 2025, she was crowned national champion in three divisions—under-12, under-14, and under-16—being the only athlete, male or female, to win more than two titles in the same year.

Her international trajectory is equally remarkable: she competed in the ISA World Surfing Games 2025 against Olympic surfers and world champions, being one of the youngest athletes in the tournament. But perhaps the most symbolic recognition of her moment came recently: Mikela was crowned champion of the 2026 Surfing Nights by Surfing República, presented by BAC Credomatic, one of the most prominent events in Costa Rican surfing, thus consolidating her status as the most relevant figure in the country's youth female surfing. In the second event of the CNS 2026 in Playa Carmen, she shone again by winning three categories in one day. If she maintains this growth rate, she could be competing in the WSL Challenger Series before turning 15.

 

Nicolás Boos — The Heir of La Pampa

He grew up among the waves of Guanacaste with his father, Christian Boos, national circuit master champion in 2018 and a professional surf guide, which exposed him from a young age to a daily training routine and a power surfing philosophy that is now his hallmark. Boos already has experience winning under pressure: in 2025, he was crowned champion of the under-16 category in the fourth event of the national circuit, held in Playa Guiones, Nosara, and also made the podium in the under-18 junior division that same year. His constant progression from year to year—from fighting for top spots to leading the conversation in his category—positions him as one of the natural successors to the generation that currently dominates Costa Rican surfing, with plenty of room to continue growing before making the leap to more demanding international competitions.

Amets Garai — The Champion Who Learned from the World

Amets Garai, defending champion in the Boys (under-16) category, leads that ranking in 2026 with authority, with victories in the first, third, and fourth events of the circuit. His profile is that of a complete athlete: he trains regularly in Playa Hermosa and Jacó under all types of conditions, complements his physical preparation with specialized work, and in December 2025, he competed in his first ISA World Junior Championship in Punta Rocas, Peru. The experience transformed him. Upon his return, he emphasized learning not to be intimidated by the names of his rivals and to fight every heat until the last second—a philosophy that sports psychologists identify as competitive resilience.

His goals for 2026 are concrete and ambitious: defend the national title, win the ALAS Global Tour under-16 Latin American championship, and reach the top 10 of the junior world ranking.

The Brayant Brothers — One Family, Two Champions

Koa and Kalena Brayant are the most notable family story in Costa Rican youth surfing. Koa leads the Male Grommets (under-14) category with victories in the first, third, and fourth events of the circuit, and also features in the Junior category. Kalena, for her part, heads Female Minigrommets, ranks among the top three in Female Grommets, and holds second place in Girls. Both, raised in the same waves and under the same discipline, demonstrate that when the family environment conceives surfing as a life project—and not just a sports activity—the results speak for themselves.

Kian Jirón Merkx — Multiple Categories, One Destiny

Kian Jirón Merkx is perhaps the most versatile athlete in the entire national talent pool. He leads Male Grommets (under-14) with a perfect score in the last two events of the circuit and, at the same time, ranks third in Boys (under-16), competing equally with older athletes. His ability to perform at the highest level in multiple divisions simultaneously is the most eloquent sign of precocious talent that already surpasses his own age group.

Nils Evan Sollar Melgar — Consistency as a Virtue

Nils Evan Sollar Melgar has built an impeccable season. He leads the Male Minigrommets with a perfect score in all four events contested, and ranks third in Male Grommets with podium finishes in all events. His brother Nico Elliot Melgar Sollar is second in Male Minigrommets, making the Sollar Melgar brothers another elite fraternal pair within the circuit. Nils's consistency—never leaving the podium all season—reflects an outstanding technical and mental foundation for his age.

Carden Jagger — Confirmed International Projection

Although he appears in the Junior category in the national ranking, Carden Jagger deserves special attention for his achievements outside the country. At 14 years old and from Playa Grande, Guanacaste, he advanced to the third round of the under-16 division at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships 2025 in Punta Rocas, Peru, classifying among the top 19 in the world in his category during his first participation in a world championship. In parallel, he leads the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) rankings in the United States with multiple victories in the under-14 and under-16 categories. His dual competitive exposure—in the national circuit and abroad—is exactly the type of training specialists recommend for high-performance athletes.

Jaziel Torres — Son of Surfing, Owner of His Own Legacy

Jaziel Navi Torres Jiménez carries a surname that resonates in the history of Costa Rican surfing: his father, Jason Torres, is a two-time CNS Open category champion, junior champion in the 2006 Pan American World Championship in Peru, runner-up in Brazil 2010, and fifth in the world at the 2008 Portugal Open. But Jaziel, at just 13 years old and from Playa Jacó, is already writing his own chapter.

At the start of the CNS 2026 in Playa Cocles, he made history by becoming the youngest competitor to reach an Open category final in the entire history of the National Circuit, finishing fourth against older and more experienced rivals. His reaction defines him: «Starting by reaching a final is a very good step that makes me quite happy to move forward. It's always important to test yourself against competitors of that type, because it's a way to raise your performance.» In 2025, he had already been crowned national under-14 champion, winning the events in Playa Hermosa and Santa Teresa. And in the Santa Teresa Pro 2025 of the ALAS circuit, he reached fourth place in the under-16 division—alongside Carden Jagger (2nd) and Koa Brayant (3rd)—and scored what the judges awarded a 9.5: the best wave of the day and, as he himself acknowledged, the best of his life in a championship. His father and coach clearly explains the decision to move him up to higher categories: «We do it so he can develop a higher level of surfing. He performs very well in aerials, tubes, and in big and small waves.» With that technical profile and competitive heritage, Jaziel Torres is one of Costa Rican surfing's strongest bets for the next generation of elite surfers.

Marco Menéndez — The Central Pacific Reaches Stab

Marco Menéndez is 11 years old, lives in Playa Hermosa de Jacó, and is already competing at a level few Costa Rican surfers have reached at his age: he was invited to participate in Stab High, an event by Stab Magazine, the world's most influential surf publication—an extraordinary recognition for someone who is still in elementary school. His international record includes three second-place finishes and one third-place finish in the NSSA under-12 in the United States.

Marco trains in his local waves all day when he doesn't have classes, with breaks only for eating and hydrating. The Surf Federation highlighted him in 2025 as one of the young people with the greatest competitive determination on the national circuit. «I want to represent the country, that is my biggest dream,» declared the athlete. In the 2026 ranking, he already appears in the Under-10 Mixed category, but his projection clearly aims much higher.

 

Ian Brito — The Olympic Dream that Starts Young. 

Few athletes his age have as clear a vision as Ian Brito. National champion of the Under-10 Mixed category in 2025 after winning in Cieneguita with the best wave and the best combination of the entire event, Ian does not hide his ambitions: «I want to be a professional surfer, finish school, represent Costa Rica in the WSL and achieve an Olympic medal.» An extraordinary goal for a child who, in the 2026 national ranking, already competes simultaneously in three categories—Under-10, Minigrommets, and Grommets—measuring himself against older rivals in each of them. His preparation combines physical routine with his father, Luis Brito, and water training under the guidance of Mike Castro and Axel Castro. His father describes the process without mincing words: the sacrifice of hours in the water, the work of maneuvers on a skateboard, and daily discipline are exhausting, «but he's happy and always has that hunger to win.» That combination of long-term vision, family support, and high-level technical guidance is exactly the formula that has produced previous generations of Costa Rican champions, and everything indicates that Ian Brito will follow the same path.

Isabella Vargas Gatgens — Winning Mentality Since Age 8

Isabella Vargas Gatgens, from Playa Jacó, is one of the most endearing stories of the national talent pool. The Surf Federation describes her with a precise phrase: «small in age, but big in mindset, discipline, and surfing level.» Since she was 8 years old, she competed with a determination that surprised coaches, dividing her talent among three categories at once—Under-10 Mixed, Under-12 Female, and Under-14—and reaching the podium in more than one of them in the same season. According to the 2026 national ranking, Isabella ranks third in Female Grommets (under-14) and leads the Under-10 Mixed category, competing equally against older rivals. Her family environment explains a good part of her growth: her father, Roberto, has also competed in the master category of the circuit, and both share trips and surf adventures that the family itself describes as a passion that unites them as «accomplices of the sea.» This closeness between generations—where the father surfs alongside the daughter who one day might surpass him—is another hallmark of Costa Rican surfing: a discipline that is transmitted and lived as a family, not just trained.

The Mindset that Forges Champions

Technical talent opens doors, but a strong mindset determines how far an athlete goes. Sports psychologists agree that young surfers who reach the elite share common pillars: resilience, understood as the ability to learn from defeats rather than being defined by them; a focus on the process above an obsession with results, as points are a consequence of well-executed work; and an integral athletic identity, one that does not depend exclusively on rankings, but also includes solid values, life projects, and personal development.

On the physical plane, specialized preparation in injury prevention is fundamental during stages where the body is still developing. A long and brilliant career is built on healthy habits, not on premature overexertion. Costa Rican surfing is advancing with increasingly firm steps in this direction.