A Time to Duck Dive

• Name: Byron Thompson
• Age: 19
• Surfing: La Jolla
• Occupation: Student
• Lives in: North Park
• Best surf in SD: Bird Rock
• Longest duration surfed: Five hours

"I don't mind girls that surf as long as they are there for the right reasons," says Byron, who has been in San Diego for two years. "I've seen a lot of chicks get in the water and do something stupid so that a guy had to rescue them. I think it's a pretty desperate way to meet someone, and it can be really dangerous. As long as someone can surf, they are welcome in the line-up."

Byron, originally from Georgia, says, "I was shocked at how polluted the beach can get after the rain. It's disgusting. No one warned me — I just found out the hard way. Last year after some really heavy rains, I decided to hit up Dog Beach. Two days later I was really sick, throwing up with a high fever. I guess there are some hardcore surfers that go out every single day; after that, I realized that I'm not one of them."

An incident in La Jolla may have further convinced Byron that he's "not one of them."

"Last summer my friend towed me out on his dinghy to an unfamiliar break in La Jolla. The waves were about seven feet high, and I didn't know how to duck dive. I got knocked around and then washed up onto some rocks. I messed up my hand and skinned part of my knee...probably could have used a few stitches. I hit my head and got a mild concussion and wrecked my board. It was really hard to paddle back in, but another surfer helped me out....

"That's the cool thing out here. People are willing to help you out. Sure, there are always some people that will be rude, but for the most part, the surf community here is pretty friendly. It was a stupid thing to do, and I learned from my mistake."