The waves probably won't be big in California this weekend, but Sheldon Paishon will get the ride of his life when he competes in a surf contest at La Jolla, Calif.

Sheldon, along with Jackson Kyne, Tehani Louis-Perkins and Alessa Quizon, will represent Hawai'i in the Windansea Menehune Contest on Saturday and Sunday.

Not one of the surfers is highly ranked in his or her age division. Not one has ever traveled to California.

That's exactly why they were chosen for a spot on "Team Aloha."

"There are so many talented kids from Hawai'i who get to travel all over the world to surf," coach Tommy Asing said. "But what about all the other kids who surf and don't get that opportunity? We wanted to give these other kids a chance to get that experience."

The Windansea Surf Club of La Jolla is sponsoring the trip for the four surfers.

"A couple of years back, they came up with the idea of inviting a few kids from Hawai'i to surf in their contest, and it went from there," Asing said.

Asing, who selected the surfers, will be their coach and chaperone.

"I picked this group not necessarily to win a contest, but to show them that surfing has other things to offer," Asing said. "I don't know if they'll ever be able to do something like this again, so I want them to see another part of the world and meet surfers and make friends from someplace outside Hawai'i."

The trip will be especially memorable for Sheldon. He was raised in Wai'anae and has never left O'ahu.

"I never even been on a plane before, so I'm very excited just for that," said Sheldon, who is 12 and in the seventh grade at Wai'anae Intermediate. "All my friends thought I was lying when I told them I was going on this trip, but now they know it's for real."

When Asing handed each surfer a list of items to pack for the trip, Sheldon just asked for one thing.

"He asked me 'What about food? How are we going to eat for one week if we don't bring food?' " Asing said with a laugh. "These kids don't realize there's a whole world out there for them to explore."

At 15, Jackson is the oldest surfer in the group. He is a regular competitor in O'ahu meets but has never been able to afford a trip off the island.

Many of the top-ranked amateur surfers in Hawai'i are able to travel through sponsorships from surf-product companies.

"I don't have a sponsor, and I can't pay on my own," said Jackson, a sophomore at Wai'anae High. "So it makes me feel good to finally get a chance."

At 9, Tehani is the youngest. She is the daughter of former longboard surfing world champion Bonga Perkins.

"I'm nervous about going," said Tehani, who is in the fourth grade at Iliahi Elementary. "I know it's going to be cold, so I might have to get a wetsuit."

Alessa is anxious to compete in California waves against California surfers.

"I don't know how the other girls surf, or how good they are, so that's what I want to see," said Alessa, 11 and a sixth-grader at Ma'ili Elementary.

In any case, Asing said, the trip will not only focus on surfing. He has already purchased a notebook and disposable camera for each surfer.

"I want them to take pictures and keep a journal for every day we're up there," Asing said. "Then I want them to share it with their classmates and teachers. This is a first time for these kids. It's going to be an educational event as much as it is a surfing event."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.