An understated, and not to mention, until lately, an extremely underrated surfer, Sebastian Zietz’s profile may not be as lofty as some of his classmen, but when it comes down to it, he has to be considered a contender in any conditions. For the past several winters “Seabass,” as he’s been affectionately dubbed, has applied a time-honored approach to getting recognized on the North Shore. He’ll paddle out on the ugliest day at Off the Wall, find the most hideously deformed closeout, hurl himself over the ledge, and hope a camera catches the action. At the very least, it’s earned him the respect of surfers both young and old, which goes a long way in the Islands. “Seabass rips,” says Alex Smith, who’s grown up on the North Shore of Kauai surfing with Zietz. “He catches more waves in one session than I do all year. He just goes and goes and goes. He’s classic to party with too. He’ll usually get himself into a dance-off and end up singing karaoke.” The hard-charging regular footer has also developed a fondness for Teahupoo, spending some serious time there over the past several seasons. And while he’s not necessarily known for doing his best work while wearing a contest jersey, his small-wave act is impressive as well. Seabass won the ’08 Oakley Pro Junior division of the Macy’s CA Trifecta Surf Series. “I’d eventually like to make the WCT, but for now I’m on the WQS and doing everything I can to make the dream a reality.”