The sun is rising over the Pacific Ocean, light glittering off the waves. The faint sound of early morning traffic fades out as the crash of the waves overcomes everything else. Zane Saenz paddles out past the break at Sunset Beach, his favorite surf spot on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. He’s out on the ocean at his favorite time of the day, before most people are even awake to see the beauty of the morning. 

 

“It feels really good … when you [go to school after a morning surf],” Zane says. “When you know you just had a great time when everyone else was sleeping.” 

 

Zane is 16 years old and lives in Laie, Hawaii, where he is on his way to becoming a professional surfer. He’s currently training to compete in the APP World Tour, which has a stop on Oahu. Zane has been surfing since he was seven and loves to experiment with different types of surfing. He recently has started foiling, which uses an attached fin on the bottom of a board to help the surfer catch air on a wave. Zane says it feels like flying. He also competes in standup paddle surfing, a cross between traditional surfing and stand-up paddle boarding. 

 

Each week Zane puts in 15 to 20 hours with surfing training in and out of the water. If the surf is good he squeezes in some time before school starts, and as soon as the last bell rings he’s back in the ocean again. “Physically I prepare by just putting in the time [in] the waves to get really used to them,” he says. “I do weight training too, to get the performance in [my] surfing.” Spiritually, he explains, “I always make sure to pray … and live worthily before getting into the contest.” 

 

Most surfers are not very religious, which opens up missionary opportunities for Zane. He has been able to share the gospel by simply answering questions and being a good example wherever he is in the world. This happened in Barbados, an island off the Caribbean. Zane had traveled there with a few Brazilian surfers from the tour and was even able to use the Portuguese he learned from his Brazilian mother while there.

 

“In Barbados I made a friend about my age and he’s trying to get back into spiritual stuff because he [said] he felt like he was falling off,” Zane recalls. “I told him about what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in and he thought that was interesting.” 

 

When he’s not surfing big waves along the California coast or in exotic countries, Zane is comfortable at home in Hawaii, where “it’s just [me] and the water” at his favorite surf spots.

While living in small town Laie, which is densely populated with members of the Church, Zane has felt the love and support of the community as his successes have accumulated. “The Church community is really supportive [here in Laie]... some people [will show] up to contests and repost things.”

 

The strength of a community is one of the blessings that Zane recognizes, along with his faith that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us--especially when it comes to making tough decisions about your future. “A big dilemma I face is Sunday contests. I have to choose when to go and when not to go ... I try to avoid Sundays, [and when I can’t] I try to do my normal Sunday things [still], like reading scriptures and prayer.”

 

Even if surfing professionally doesn’t pan out for Zane, he wants to stay on Oahu and go to school at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, just like his parents did. He also says he’s open to continuing to compete all over the world, if that’s what Heavenly Father has planned for him.

 

“It’s important to try to follow your dreams and do what you really love to do,” Zane says. “[But] you can still, at the same time, follow what Heavenly Father wants you to do and make it work… and make it even better.”