And by progressing through the ranks at what some describe as the bodyboarding capital of Australia, Port Macquarie micro grom Jarrah Burton is dreaming big.

He wants to follow in the footsteps of world tour surfer Ryan Hardy and hopes a session under his guidance in January this year can form part of his path to the global stage.

"I look up to him," the 12-year-old said.

"Before the first competition this year, he came to Port and taught us some stuff and I just liked the way he bodyboards.

"He's a really cool guy."

Hardy has over 25 years of global competition experience and won some of the most iconic and hard-fought world tour events in the sport.

It's what most young kids dream of - being able to surf well-known breaks around the world - and Burton is no different.

The youngster has been in the water almost since birth, having learned to swim from a young age.

He described bodyboarding as a "bit more fun" than surfing because you don't require a lot of swell to enjoy yourself.

"We used to always go camping and I bodyboarded more than I surfed because it's easier and I can do more stuff on the bodyboard," he said.

"I've got some friends that do it and you don't really need the waves to be perfect, you can just go out and have fun."

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Port Macquarie Bodyboarding Association to pause their season after just one competition where Burton claimed a respectable third place.

"I've been trying to get to the beach three times a week during Corona and I'm going to try and get heaps better so maybe I can get on the world tour sometime," he said.

"It's fun where you can have a competition on a Sunday where you can also have fun with all your mates."

Like most young groms learning their way through the sport, Burton admitted larger swell was sometimes more daunting.

"I can get scared when it's big, but other times I find it more fun; I know how to swim so it's not too bad," he said.

"I've been growing up around the beaches by surfing, swimming and just doing anything in the water."

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