Hi Julie,
Photographing people in this documentary style can be very dynamic and many factors need to work together for you to make a great shot.
The most dynamic component in this photograph are the young boys themselves; because you are probably not directing them, you really are relying on chance that they will all be in the right place at the right time to create a good photograph.
The next important element is your location, the viewpoint from which you are taking the photograph. My feeling on the photograph is that you are too far to the left; I feel that he had moved back along the pier towards the beach you would have had a more interesting line along the water's edge.
There are two other elements that bother me about the photo. The first is the cropping; ideally I would have liked to have seen some space about that boy on the right-hand side of the image.
The second factor is the moment; for some reason all three boys seem to be scratching their nether regions! I know they are boys… but If I was the photo editor on a travel magazine I would probably not use this photograph for that reason! I am sure there was a moment when the boys were not scratching themselves!
As mentioned at the start, this sort of photography is very dynamic. If you are in a similar situation again try taking a few photographs and then move, take a few more photos and then move again. Don’t get fixated on one point of view… keep looking for a better option.
Cheers, Anthony