Photos: Kydon Larrabee Wins Boys U14 USA Surfing Championship
David Creed •
Kydon Larrabee, a 13 year old seasonal island resident, won the U14 USA Surfing Championship in Oceanside, California earlier this week. The Current reached out to Larrabee on Thursday and he confirmed that after winning the U14 championship, he made the finals and placed third in the U18 division despite being one of the youngest competing surfers in that competition.
Larrabee’s father, Rich, was born and raised on Nantucket and runs a seasonal business on the island, which allows the family to travel during the offseason in an RV - competing in surfing competitions across the country on a regular basis and honing their craft.
Kydon, along with his brother Wynter, have dedicated their lives to surfing. In April, the brothers competed in the Eastern Surfing Association Southeast Regionals, where Kydon placed first in his age group divisions for both longboard and shortboard while Wynter had a pair of second place finishes in the U18 division.
Kydon qualified for the Championship in Oceanside, California after winning the Boys U14 USA Surfing East Coast Prime Series season finale in North Carolina in May.
The Current featured the brothers in a story back in 2022, where they discussed their dream of someday surfing on the international stage and becoming two of the top surfers in the world, and how they have dedicated their lives to achieving those goals with their parents Rich and Shawna by their side. You can read the feature on Kydon and Wynter by clicking here.
But the accomplishments for the Larrabee brother's don't just come while surfing. Some may remember Wynter's name for his heroic actions last September where he helped save a 25 year old man from drowning by jumping into the ocean and pulling him from the surf at Cisco Beach after noticing that "something was off" when he saw the way the man, who ended up making a full recovery, was floating in the water from afar. You can read that full story by clicking here.
Wynter's actions earned him recognition by Egan Maritime Institute and Nantucket Cottage Hospital as one of their 2023 recipients of the annual Lifesavers Recognition Day awards.
Below are some photos of Kydon from the competition taken and shared with the Current by Kurt Steinmetz, a digital creator and photographer for USA Surfing.
