Name: Nathan Kruger

Age: 26

Lives In: La Mesa

Surfing: Scripps

Pre-Surf Music: The Get Up Kids

Girls in the Water? “Definite yay!”

“I just have to say that I’m really tired of the ‘locals only’ attitude. These beaches are public, they are here for everyone, and I’m tired of the rudeness that is out there. I feel it before I go in the water and it affects me,” says Nathan, a dedicated surfer who has been in San Diego for five years.

“Surfing is something that I started as a way to keep in shape. It’s a challenge every day to get my butt out of bed at dawn and head to a gym, but if I’m heading into the ocean, where I can look at amazing scenery and feel exhilarated by activity, then it’s much easier. The gym is boring.”

Before he began surfing, Nathan almost drowned in a snorkeling accident while in Hawaii six years ago.

“I wasn’t in very deep water; I had just swam out and wasn’t sure of the area. I went for a dive and hit my head on some coral or a rock. I don’t remember. I passed out for a few seconds, and when I woke up I couldn’t find my snorkel. I panicked when I saw the blood in the water next to me. I didn’t know which way was up or down, I just started swimming. Luckily, I surfaced a moment later. I tried surfing the next day for the very first time, though.”

Nathan has surfed in Fiji, Australia, and Mexico. His most memorable experience was camping in Baja.

“I surfed for five hours straight, and I think I pulled every muscle in my body. These sets just kept coming in — how could I say no? I was exhausted and starving, so I sent one of my friends in for tacos. There was no way I was getting out of the water. We ate them on our boards, looking at the shore. It was the best meal of my life.”