It’s 6 a.m. and the alarm goes off. There are another two hours before school starts, but you have the energy to let the cool Pacific water wake you up before class. You turn on the television to the Weather Channel and quickly scan to see what the tide will be like. Then you find out it’s the perfect morning, so you wake up a couple of other surf buddies and attempt to persuade them in their grogginess to join you in an adrenaline-filled morning wake-up.

“If I’m lucky I surf before work and school, on my lunch break, and after work and school,” said City College student and surfer Ben Rider. “Surfing is everything I get out of life: exercise, self challenge, enjoyment, and traveling. It’s a life experience. I love it.”

Many surfers at City College can relate to this early morning scenario.

“It’s just something about having that freezing cold water splash you in the face while watching the sunrise before heading off to an 8 a.m. class,” Caitlin Cannon commented.

Cannon has been surfing fan since she can remember.

“I’m from Danville, California and we aren’t as close to the water up there like we are down here in Santa Barbara,” she said.

“I live in I.V. so most of the time I’ll go to the beach behind Del Playa or I’ll go to the Goleta State Beach,” Cannon said. Cannon also surfs with another City College student and roommate, Annie Fruth.

“I miss the surfing in Hawaii and can’t wait to get back. The surfing scene in Santa Barbara is cool but the warm tropical climate in Hawaii is a better feel in my eyes,” said Fruth, a Hawaii native.

Many Hawaiians surf instead of going to the mall or club. Most surfers agree that surfing is an amazing sport that takes a lot of time and practice.

“When I was younger, I thought I was never going to be able to step up on the board and keep my balance,” Fruth commented. “Once I got the hang of it, I eventually began to master the art of surfing.”

“My surfboard is like a jock’s football,” said surfer Tom Martin.

Students say it’s a luxury to live this close to the water when you have a passion for surfing.

It’s an even bigger privilege to be a student who can wake up in the morning for a quick surf, take off a wet suit, grab your book bag and head off without being tardy for that 8 a.m. class.