TEENAGE Isle of Wight surfer Boe Howell is in Rio de Janeiro to compete at the World Junior Surfing Championships, which gets underway today (Friday).

Boe, from Yarmouth, is one of three girls to have been selected for the U16 Surfing England squad taking part in Brazil, competing against the best young surfers on the planet.

The 16-year-old, who learned surfing from her dad, Nigel, in the waters at Compton Bay and in Cornwall.

Boe was ecstatic to have been selected for the World Championships.

"Obviously, there is a lot of pressure, but I really like there isn't anything I really have to live up to right now, because it's the first time I'm going to the Worlds.

"I'm excited to be surfing with all those really good people." 

When she was selected to join the Surfing England team, they admired Boe's dedication to the sport and performance in recent years — "stepping up a gear and displaying 'sick' surfing" in contests, such as the English Junior National Championships.

The championship will take place in Rio — home to some of the world's most iconic beaches — until Sunday, December 3.

Surfing will once again be part of the Olympic Games next summer, after making its debut in Tokyo, and the Junior Worlds are a proven pathway for future Olympic stars.

It will be the 19th edition of the championship and the second time the event has been hosted in Rio de Janeiro.