PLYMOUTH, England — Surfing evolved from sport to lifestyle in Hawai’i, California and Australia. In chilly southwest England, it is now a science. Two years ago, the University of Plymouth rolled out a new four-year degree — Surf Science and
PLYMOUTH, England — Surfing evolved from sport to lifestyle in Hawai’i, California and Australia. In chilly southwest England, it is now a science.
Two years ago, the University of Plymouth rolled out a new four-year degree — Surf Science and Technology.
Initially greeted with snickers and sneers about lightweight education, the program is now viewed as an innovation that may soon become a model for other unconventional degrees.
Eager students are tackling a broad range of course work selected with the input of a billion-dollar surfing industry — oceanography, business management, anatomy, environmental studies, meteorology and “materials technology and design construction,” a lab course devoted mostly to building surfboards.
Billabong and Quiksilver, two multinational surfboard and surf apparel companies, are keenly interested in the program, offering suggestions and field trips in exchange for recruiting the best students, professor Malcolm Findlay says.
The promise of jobs after graduation fuels students’ enthusiasm. Graduates expect to see their earning potential rise from the meager hourly wages paid by surf shops to the comfortable salaries and benefits of the business world.
“There is a definite feeling that if we finish this degree, we will go on to work in the industry and push it forward,” says Rory Jordan, 24, one of 58 students in the two-year-old program.
At Plymouth, there is no “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” moment of a stoned surfer having pizza delivered to class. No course on how to catch a wave. No vacant stares. Not every conversation is littered with “dude.”
Jordan and his classmates bristle at any mention of the dimwitted surfer stereotype, although many dress the part. They sport baggy clothes, various body piercings and hair disheveled by an early morning on the waves where full-body wet suits are a must and some students even wear neoprene hoods over their heads.
The second-year students, calling themselves the “guinea pigs,” are nearing the end of their core classes and preparing to embark on their first major project.
One hopes to build the first biodegradable surfboard, ditching the toxic resins and foams currently in use. Another sees promise in Kevlar and other high-tech fibers for a high-performance board. 0thers plan to assist in the creation of an artificial reef in nearby Newquay to turn a mediocre surfing spot into one worthy of international competitions.
