I recently caught Griffin Colapinto up in Malibu at Sun Life Organics with one of his best pals Jacob Atwood. The perfect time to pick his brain on what he thinks about this final WSL Challenger Series event going down this weekend in Saquarema, Brazil.

After his season ended in his hometown with him getting 3rd overall at the WSL Finals, Griffin packed it up to head to Portugal with the whole San Clemente entourage on the cusp of qualifying. The goal? Get everyone in the right frame of mind.

Now, Griffin is at home hanging in Malibu, CA and they’re on their own in Saquarema, which can be a pretty tricky location to navigate (check out our Inherent Bummer Guide to Saquarema here).

Here’s what Griffin is looking forward to.—Brandon Guilmette

INHERENT BUMMER: Who’s your dark horse pick currently outside the bubble?

GRIFFIN COLAPINTO: Dark horse pick, Jett Schilling and on the Women’s side, I think Luana Silva.

Who are you most excited to see on the CT next year?

The ones I would be most excited to see on tour are probably Cole Houshmand, Crosby, Jacob Wilcox, Kade Matson and Jett Schilling.

On the Women’s side I would say Sawyer Lindblad, Alyssa Spencer and Luana Silva.

Which potential rookie would adapt to the waves on the CT the quickest?

I think my brother Crosby would be the quickest to adapt. He’s already been to a lot of the spots with me and he actually surfs better in heavier or more open water style waves.

Alyssa Spencer would probably adapt the best out of the girls. She seems pretty good under pressure and I think she will be able to handle that new pressure the tour brings better than the rest.

Who would be the best addition to the CT?

Cole Houshmand. He’s a surfer nobody has ever really seen before. He’s the biggest pro surfer ever in history. Plus, he’s got good style and it would be cool to see him in those waves.