Raised on the North Shore, 16-year-old goofy-footer Merrik Mochkatel cut his teeth at Haleiwa, developing an early appetite for bigger surf. Catching the attention of Hawaiian coaching legend Rainos Hayes, Mochkatel’s been building a resume chock-full of international experience and a growing collection of local QS results. But the kid’s building toward something bigger. This summer, he posted up at home, teaming up with filmer Morgan Lavin to shoot his latest edit, Track 1 , at a firing Ala Moana Bowls. SURFER caught up with the young surfer to talk big waves, competitive ambitions, boards and keeping the fun in surfing. SURFER: You grew up on the North Shore and were surfing some pretty serious waves at a young age. How did that come about? Merrik Mochkatel: I was born in Alaska, and both my parents swam growing up, so I’ve always been close to the water. We moved to Hawai’i when I was four, and I caught my first wave here.…