John Wyman(21) surfs Scripps Pier.

Local?

Nope, New Hampshire native

How did you get into surfing?

I’ve been living in California for the last three years. Originally, I came out here for cliff jumping but I picked up surfing. I’ve just been kind of doing that now.

How did you get into cliff jumping?

There was a bridge next to my high school that everyone would jump [off of] after school. I started doing flips off of it. There is a huge community out here of cliff jumpers—people that push it to the extreme, so I came out here for that. But now I’ve transitioned more into surfing.

Did you surf at all prior to moving to San Diego?

Occasionally, I mean the surf out here is so good that I started taking trips up the coast and then I really fell in love with it and left [New Hampshire]

What’s your favorite surf spot in San Diego?

Scripps or Blacks Beach.

Can you remember the first time you surfed and what that was like?

Yes, it was AWESOME! I was pretty young. It was on a family vacation in North Carolina. I rented a board for the day and I never got out of the water.

Do you have a favorite surf moment?

Yes, surfing at sunset in Costa Rica. I was out there with all my friends. Couldn’t beat it.

Any Wildlife experiences?

Yeah, I had a sea otter charge me one time.

Have you seen any fights in the water?

Not so much [in San Diego]. I think because the surf is so good all the time it’s not as bad as in other spots. In Santa Cruz during the summertime, if it’s a good day and your drop in on other people, they get really mad. Certain breaks, especially Four Mile in Santa Cruz, can be really aggressive. I once saw this older guy get super mad at this little kid because he dropped in on him. He followed him all the way down the beach. He was getting all in this little kid’s face. It was crazy. Everyone was yelling at him to leave him alone and to stop picking a fight with a ten-year-old.

What advice would you give new surfers?

Just get out there. Get in the water.