Marco Menendez, the boy who flew in Virginia Beach

Marco Menendez, the Costa Rican who conquered the world's most important aerial stage.

 

There are surf events, and then there's Stab High. They are not the same thing. While most competitions in the world ask surfers to connect maneuvers, read the ocean, and surf the wave from start to finish, Stab High has only one question: how high can you fly? And this May, in the wave pool at Atlantic Park Surf in Virginia Beach, USA, an 11-year-old Costa Rican boy stepped onto that ramp and answered in his own language: the language of aerials.

Marco Menendez was one of eight selected for the Bottle Rockets category — reserved for surfers under 15 — at Stab High Virginia Beach 2026. This was no ordinary invitation. It was the most ambitious edition of the event to date: the first time Stab High had landed on the Atlantic coast of the United States, with $60,000 in prizes, live global broadcast, and the most impressive lineup of figures in the competition's history.

Organized by the influential surf magazine Stab Magazine, this event began in 2018 in Waco, Texas, as a radical response to traditional competitive surfing formats. Its premise is as simple as it is electrifying: no waiting, no points for chained maneuvers, no conservative surfing. Just aerials. The competition takes place in state-of-the-art artificial wave pools that guarantee perfect, repeatable ramps so each surfer can attempt the most ambitious aerial of their arsenal. The result is a spectacle that looks more like a music festival than a surf competition: giant screens, DJs, and a crowd that erupts in cheers every time someone takes off into the sky.

At Virginia Beach 2026, four divisions shared the water: Pro Men with 36 surfers, Pro Women, Ladybirds —girls under 15— and Bottle Rockets —boys under 15—. The guest list was every surf fan's dream. Chippa Wilson, Australian and winner of the first Stab High in 2019, one of the most creative and influential surfers in the history of aerial surfing. Matt Meola, Hawaiian known for rotating in directions physics shouldn't allow. Mason Ho, the charismatic Hawaiian son of legend Michael Ho, who turned wild surfing into his own art form. Mikey February, the impeccably styled South African who combines visual elegance with aerial power. Eithan Osborne, Stab High Japan 2024 champion. Jacob Szekely, Noah Beschen, Ian Crane, Balaram Stack, Evan Geiselman, Robbie McCormick, Judd Henkes, Hughie Vaughan —champion in both 2025 editions— and Kolohe Andino, who also served on the judging panel alongside legend Nathan Fletcher.

And among them all, Marco Menendez. The boy from Costa Rica.

Marco did not arrive alone as a representative of Costa Rica. In the Bottle Rockets category was also Mexican Kalama Stratton, 14, one of the greatest promises of Latin American surfing, known for his appearances in tubes at Backdoor and Puerto Escondido. Two Latin Americans in the entire event, out of 56 invited surfers across four categories. That says it all about the rarity and weight of this invitation.

The invitation to Marco came in the most contemporary way possible: a direct email from the Stab High organization. No intermediaries. Stab Magazine wrote directly to the Menendez family to inform them that Marco had been selected to compete in Virginia Beach.

We had the opportunity to speak with Marco Menendez, who shared his impressions of this unique experience. Here's what he told us:

— How did the Stab High invitation come about?

"We received an email directly from Stab High. It was an incredible surprise. I wasn't expecting it at all. I remember we told my parents, and everyone was very excited."

— Which figures at the event impressed you the most?

"There was an incredible level of talent. Hughie Vaughan, who won Stab High twice last year, Mikey February, Mason Ho, Chippa Wilson, Kolohe Andino… It was amazing to see all those surfers together in one place. These are people you see in videos, and suddenly they're right next to you."

— Who were the judges for the event?

"The judges were Nathan Fletcher, Kolohe Andino, and several others. They were people who know a lot about aerials, who have experienced surfing in a different way. That added a lot of weight to the event."

— How would you describe the overall experience?

"A unique experience. To be among such talent, in a wave pool with that production, those people… the event is spectacular. It's something incomparable. You learn just by being there, by seeing how the pros surf, by feeling that energy."

We also spoke with his parents, who accompanied Marco every step of this adventure and were front-row witnesses to everything he experienced.

— What did you feel as parents when the Stab High invitation arrived?

"Great pride. There's a lot of effort as a family, and Marco spends many hours in the water to achieve his goals."

— How did you experience being in Virginia Beach during the event?

"It was great. Seeing so many high-level surfers all together in one place is something you don't forget."

— How do you see Marco's future in international surfing?

"If he continues to work like this, he will go very far."

 

Stab High Virginia Beach 2026 was, for many reasons, the biggest Stab High yet. The first edition on the Atlantic coast of the United States, the largest prize money in the event's history, the most inclusive format with four divisions, and a broadcast that reached surfers around the world. In the water were some of the best surfers on the planet.

And among them was Marco Menendez. A young Costa Rican who came not as a tourist, but as an invited guest. He didn't come to watch, he came to compete. In the Bottle Rockets category, he faced the world's best under-15 prospects, surfers from Hawaii, California, and Australia who have been on this circuit for years. To be on that list is, in itself, a statement about the level of talent this boy born in Costa Rica possesses.

Costa Rican surfing has produced important names over the decades, but Marco's story has something different: speed. At his age, he has already competed on the most demanding stage of global aerial surfing. He has already measured his skill against the best. He already knows what it's like to feel the heat of Virginia Beach in May, the pressure of an artificial wave pool, the judges with clipboards, and the screaming crowd. That experience is priceless and has no shortcuts.

What comes next is unknown, but exciting. Marco returns to Costa Rica with something no training can give you: the certainty that you can be on the same level as the best in the world. And that certainty, at his age, can move mountains.

There's a phrase Marco used in his Instagram post after the event that sums it all up better than any analysis: "Go big or go home." It's not just a phrase. It's a life philosophy. And at Stab High Virginia Beach 2026, Marco Menendez lived it with his whole being.

 

Writing: Enrique Hernández