Ocean Beach Pier

Name: Junko Brunelle

Home: Ocean Beach

Vehicle: 2000 Ford Focus wagon

Surfing: Ocean Beach Pier

Junko Brunelle doesn't like Fords at all. "They break too easily," she says. But she bought her Focus wagon for the fold-down seats and cargo capacity. She carries two boards in back: a Mitsven 6'7" and a Topper 6'6". She rode longboards until last month; her skill level was such that she wanted a shorter, more maneuverable board.

She keeps a plastic tub filled with her surf gear and a spare leash. "I broke this leash. A strong wave knocked me off my board and I knew my leash snapped. So I fixed it with some rope and I keep it as a spare." Also in the tub are her X-Cel booties that she used until the first week of June. Junko says when the water temperature rises above 62 degrees, she puts the booties away. Her wetsuit is a 3/2mm O'Neill. She also carries a small green Reef box with a bar of wax and a comb that's been melted. "If it gets dirty, I just strip and wax my board at home. I don't know why I carry this box of wax around still."

She calls a telephone-service surf report to get the latest conditions on her favorite surf spots: Ocean Beach pier and Tourmaline Surfing Park in Pacific Beach.

In the five years Junko's been surfing, she hasn't seen too many crazy things, but her husband, who's been surfing for 25 years, has told her stories. "He found a box of ashes -- someone's cremated remains." And he's been hooked at the end of fishermen's lines next to the Ocean Beach pier, twice.