It wasn't that Austin Ganz minded the sharpness of the ray's sting or even the afternoon trip to the hospital, but when the doctor told him he couldn't surf for the next week, the 15-year-old didn't know how to spend his time.

“What are you supposed to do? Play baseball or something?” he said.

Ganz took his first surfing lesson at age 7, taught by his father, Brian, a former Olympic sailor. At 10, Austin competed in his first contest at Ponto Beach, less than a quarter of a mile from his Carlsbad home. By the time he had reached the lofty age of 12, Ganz had secured his first sponsorship, with surf brand Jedidiah.

Three years later, the Carlsbad High School sophomore is competing frequently. He will enter approximately 36 contests this winter season under sponsorships from No Fear, Walker Surfboards, K5, GFH Skateboards and WNC phones.

Ganz is pretty certain that the Lancers team will regain its spot as the No. 1 high school surf team in the nation; San Dieguito Academy recently nabbed that position.

“Not for long,” Ganz said. “We didn't have any seniors.”

But while school was out for the summer, Ganz spent nearly every day in the water (at least until the stingray incident) either at Ponto Beach, Oceanside Pier or Trestles. He also worked as an instructor at a surf camp in Oceanside for six weeks.

He has surfed Maui and Oahu's North Shore, even Fiji last January with a group of 10 friends, surfers his age and a few parents.

Warm water and nice waves is how Ganz described the trip.

His family, including mother Jenny and 6-year-old sister Ashley, and their friends are planning a trip to Costa Rica this fall.

His dream surf trips? Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

It's no surprise that Ganz goes through a board every month or two with the amount of time he spends in the water. He's got about “14 or 15 boards and counting,” he said, mainly Walker Surfboards, lined up in his family's garage and his bedroom.

His favorite professional surfers are Dan Reynolds and Taj Burrow, and Ganz already has surfed with Reynolds and Kelly Slater.

Although he has loved traveling, especially for surf trips, Ganz plans to apply to the University of California San Diego to study marine biology.

And although he was born in Carlsbad, the family lived in Scottsdale, Ariz., for two years, a place he'd rather not be. He can't imagine a life without surfing. Even for a week.

For more information about Ganz, visit www.austinsurfing.com.

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