Jesse Richman is no ordinary teenager. He doesn't physically go to school, and spends most of the year travelling the world on his own. He has won tens of thousands of Euros for doing cool sports, and hung out with actor Orlando Bloom.
Jesse is the current Kiteboard Pro World Tour (KPWT) world champion, and holds the world record for the longest kiteboard hang time, or time spent in the air. A time of 22 short seconds distinguishes him from the rest of the surfing pack.
The tanned Hawaii native was in town last week for a wetsuit sponsorship deal with Hong Kong-based water sports group Neil Pryde. Never one to miss out on a chance to try the waves, he headed to the south of Lantau for a demonstration of his craft, which is also called kitesurfing, or simply kiting.
Jesse's dream lifestyle is all due to his parents.
'My parents moved to Maui, Hawaii, to windsurf and be in the water,' says the 16-year-old, 'They helped me to start surfing when I was nine. They understand what I'm doing and are super supportive of me.'
Having possibly the coolest parents ever, Jesse and his older brother Shawn - also a professional kitesurfer - spent most of their time on the beach. Even during school, their minds were often focused on the beach, wind and wave conditions.