Odd Tan Lines

Name: A.J. Bhowmik

Age: 28

Lives In: Pacific Beach

Surfing: O.B. Pier

Pre-Surf Pump Up Music: Jazz

Favorite Post Surf Food: Burritos

A.J. Bhowmik and his friends take credit for inventing “Surf Wars,” which began one summer night years ago when the group took “an ill-advised trip to Crystal Pier.”

“Here’s how it works: you take out the biggest boards you can find, catch waves close enough to each other so that you can try to push each other off and…that’s it. That is Surf Wars. One time we were doing this in Ensenada, and I took the wave from my friend, as was my right in Surf Wars. Unfortunately, I fell and landed on him with my butt. He has a rather large head, and I was sore the next day.”

Bhowmik started surfing in 1998. His favorite spot is Ocean Beach because, even though it’s illegal, he says, “It’s fun to shoot the pier.” He’s surfed Guatemala and dreams of vacationing in Bali or Tahiti.

Bhowmik says one of the funniest things he’s pulled off at the beach involves his wife’s bikini and a rash guard.

“One day after work I really wanted to go surfing. I got out there and realized I didn’t have my wet suit or even board shorts, just a rash guard. I started looking around my car and I found my wife’s bathing suit. Luckily, it was a one-piece. I put it on, but I didn’t want to look like a freak or anything, so I put my rash guard over it. That way I looked like a European guy with a Speedo on. The only problem was that the bra part would slip down and hang below the rash guard…. I thought it looked pretty good.”