Adolescence in Hawai‘i can be defined by two thumbs, a few friends, a stack of boards, and a willingness to hitchhike your way to the lineup. Although in other parts of the world, the ancient art of thumbing it may be considered taboo, in Hawai‘i, it’s become a rite of passage. Ask any surfers reared in the islands and they’ll tell you that the stretch of years when mom stops driving and before you start are the stuff that memories are made of. For this feature, we’re paying homage to our teenage, non-driving brethren. You may hate thumbing it now, but take it from us, it’s one of the best times of your lives. Enjoy the ride.

“I still don’t have my license. But yeah, everybody hitchhikes on the North Shore. I don’t really do it in Town ever, just when I’m on the North Shore on the path and stuff. It’s always pretty classic and it’s pretty mellow. I mean, everybody knows who everybody is, so you never have to wait very long for a ride.”
—Ezekiel Lau

“I remember one time I was hitchhiking back to the Billabong house and it started to rain. So this guy just drove right past us. I got pretty pissed and yelled something and then he screeched to a stop. I was thinking we were gonna get snapped on pretty hard. But he got out and just said, ‘You didn’t have to yell. All you had to do was stick out your thumb.’ We cracked up pretty hard about that one when we got in the car.” —Kaimana Jaquias