KERIANNE BOONE
Staff Writer
Nearly 800 incoming freshmen spent their last day of New Student Orientation (NSO) at Zuma Beach on Aug. 26. Pepperdine had arranged a picnic lunch and surfing lessons provided by Malibu Makos Surf Club for the new students.
The freshmen arrived via shuttles and shuffled out onto the beach. Once settled, the surf instructors asked for those who wanted to receive lessons to raise their hands. In response to the meager three- or four-hand response, one instructor then asked, “If you don’t want to surf, then why did you come all the way to Malibu for college?” After a brief silence, more hands rose.
This is a question every student should ask. There’s a reason they include an aerial photograph of campus on the brochure’s first page.We have a unique opportunity to spend four years living in the town where surfing first developed into a popular sport during the 1950s. Malibu is home to some of the best surfing spots in the country: Surf Riders, Big Dume, Leo Carillo and Zeros, to name a few.
This presents an entirely different aspect to a Pepperdine student’s college experience – especially those from land-locked states such as Oklahoma or countries such as Germany, where surfing may not be popular, common or even possible.
Luckily, getting started isn’t difficult. Pepperdine offers surf classes that fulfill two elective credits. This semester, there are four sections. Pepperdine will run another group of classes next semester.Another source on campus is the Surf Club. Though it has its own team that competes in the National Scholastic Surfing Association, there are also events for surfers with less or no experience. They practice weekly at Zuma Beach and County Line, and also hold beach barbecues, surf movies in Elkins and surfing trips outside Los Angeles.Surf lessons also are available off campus. Malibu Makos Surf Club, by Tower 14 on Zuma Beach, offers Saturday surf camps, private lessons and surfboard and wetsuit sales. They also sell new and used foam boards — excellent for learning, since they are more stable than fiberglass models. Their $40 wetsuits are also the best bargain in Malibu.
Other surf shops in the area include Zuma Jay’s, Becker Malibu, Clout Malibu and Val Surf.
Popular surfing beaches for beginners include Westward Beach, Zuma Beach and County Line. These spots are not as crowded or territorial as others — some breaks are considered “local” to the Malibuites, which may cause problems in the water.
The best advice is to avoid snaking (or stealing) waves from other surfers, especially as a novice. Until the surfer is comfortable taking on swells, he or she should remain in the impact zone where the waves are breaking. The white water is much easier to catch and learn on.To check on the surf condition at any beach, visit www.surfline.com before leaving the dorm. The Web site offers streaming video of many surfing spots in Malibu.
Another key to learning how to surf is to check out other surfers. Before and after a session, a surfer will watch the water to observe waves and the other surfers. There’s plenty to see: Malibu is home to famous surfers such as shortboarder Pascal Stansfield, longboarder Jimmy Gamboa or even Pepperdine’s own amateur shortboarder, Skylar Peak.
There are sources everywhere in Malibu for surfing. As a Pepperdine student, one is obligated to take advantage of the situation. There’s really no excuse to not to attempt surfing at some point during college. After all, why come out to Malibu to go to college?
09-08-2005
