Dunsborough big wave surfer Ned Hart only Australian selected as GoPro Star of Tomorrow after global search

A 17-year-old big wave surfer from Dunsborough is the only Australian selected as one of GoPro’s Stars of Tomorrow after a global search. Ned Hart, who is already an accomplished big wave surfer — being the youngest-ever nominee for the Big Wave Challenge Awards last year — was announced last month as one of eight young action sports stars from around the world who have been added to the company’s elite team as part of its Grom Quest Challenge program. Ned said he was “frothing” when representatives from the company visited to tell him he had been chosen. “It was so cool ... I was so over the moon,” he said. “It’ll definitely help me out, hopefully I can go on some team trips and see where we go with it. “It’s really cool. GoPro are really cool to work with, they’re super easy. I go out, do what I do, have fun, get clips, send it to them. The more fun I’m having, the better the clips are.” Ned was attracted to big wave surfing rather than the competitive side of the sport from a young age and said he was hugely grateful for the support for what he called “such an independent sport”. “You’re going out there and fighting everyone else for the big waves,” he said. “I’ve always tried to get the sickest, best, gnarliest waves I can ... that’s always what I’ve wanted to do, now I can do it with a bit of backing and a bit of help. It’s amazing. “I can’t even remember what I’m thinking while I’m catching these waves, I’m so focused on that ... I’m thinking about nothing and everything at the same time, it’s hard to explain.” Speaking with the Times while being driven home from the airport by his mother Adele, Ned said he was hugely grateful for his family. “I definitely couldn’t have got anywhere near where I am without my parents supporting me,” he said.