The surfer whose first name means "Little Tony" is feeling pretty big right now.

One day after winning a world championship in his age division, Tonino Benson was still surfing on air.

"I woke up (yesterday) and thought it was all a dream," said Benson, 15. "I guess I'm still kind of soaking it in."

Benson won the Boys under 16 division of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships on Sunday at Huntington Beach, Calif.

The contest is considered the world championship for surfers under 18. Benson, whose real first name is Anthony, beat more than 100 surfers from 28 different countries to win his division.

Led by Benson, Hawai'i also won the team championship for the first time. Because of its storied history in the sport, Hawai'i was allowed to enter as its own nation.

"I had a feeling we could win it as a team," said Benson, who is from Kailua, Kona. "When we got there, I watched the other teams surf and I knew we were better."

Over the eight days in the contest, no one was better than Benson in the under 16 division.

Hawai'i head coach Rainos Hayes said he knew Benson had world championship potential. He just didn't know it would be fulfilled this early.

"His technical surfing is so great, I knew he was capable of something like this," Hayes said. "But for kids at that age, it's tough to keep surfing at a high level, day after day, in a contest like this. I was pleasantly surprised that Tonino pulled it off."

Hawai'i assistant coach Bert Ishimaru added: "Before this contest, we thought of Tonino as a diamond in the rough. He had all the skills. It was just a matter of putting it all together."

Benson prepared for the contest by practicing daily — in small waves and big waves — at a spot called Banyans near his Kona home.

While Tonino was surfing, his father Peter would film the sessions in 15- to 20-minute intervals.

"We'd make it just like a contest heat," Peter said. "Then we'd go back home and watch the video and try to score his waves."

The practice paid off in Huntington Beach, even though the waves were generally small and choppy.

Jack Shipley, who represented Hawai'i on the international judging panel, said of Tonino's performance: "He didn't put up phenomenal scores, but for the conditions and the competition he was up against, he was very impressive. He was doing stuff in the junk waves nobody else could do — that's how you win."

Tonino is capable of pulling off spectacular maneuvers, but he said he made sure to stick to the basics at Huntington Beach.

"Sometimes, I can go a little overboard with my moves because I want to look good," he said. "But this time, I just concentrated on making my heats. But if there was room for a big move, I went for it."

Part of Tonino's sense of balance can be traced to another sport. His parents enrolled him in gymnastics when he was 4.

"He was kind of a natural in that, too. He could do all the backflips," his mother Mary said. "I'm sure that helped him with his surfing."

By age 9, Tonino was addicted to surfing. By age 14, his parents enrolled him in home school so he could practice surfing during the days.

"I used to go out surfing with him when he was really young, but he passed me by a couple years ago," his father said.

Tonino's surfing improved so much this year, his coaches started entering him in some of the smaller professional events. Sponsorships by Billabong, Oakley, Reef Brazil and Hawaiian Island Creations are paying for most of his travel.

He even stayed in California this week to enter a pro meet in Santa Cruz.

"That's the only way I'll get better," Tonino said. "I want to be ready for the pros by the time I'm 18."

Tonino is already in elite company when it comes to world titles. Current pros Kalani Robb and Joel Centeio are the only other surfers from Hawai'i to win junior world championships as amateurs.

After his victory, Tonino was treated to a steak dinner by one of the team's sponsors. He also received congratulatory calls from pro surfers Shane Dorian and Rob Machado.

"We feel like this is his reward for all that effort he put into it," his mother said. "Not just in surfing, but with his school work, too. He took his books up with him last week and he made sure to get his study time in."

Tonino and the rest of the Hawai'i team must also focus on defending their titles. The 2006 World Junior Championships will be held at Brazil in May.

"We're going to have to pick that team soon," Ishimaru said. "And obviously, we have to start with Tonino."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.