A break from classes to learn how waves break

The surfing class attracted surfers and nonsurfers alike.

Chicago native Mike Sierks, 19, was drawn to the class by curiosity: "I've always been interested in why there are no waves on Lake Michigan but there are here."

Now he knows: It's because of storm patterns that migrate across the ocean and crash onto the shore beneath the La Jolla campus. Even the robust storms of the Upper Midwest can't match that.

Some of the students are experienced surfers who want a scientific underpinning to the sport that is their passion. "Now I can really appreciate how it is we're surfing what we're surfing," said Daniel Perez, 18, of San Diego.

Kendra Pivaroff, 18, of San Diego prefers to surf at night but likes the class even if it means getting up early. "If I'm going to wake up early on a Saturday, I'd rather be at the beach than anywhere else," she said.

Like other professors who teach the freshmen seminars, Sandwell is a volunteer. In faculty-ese, the seminars are "off-load," meaning they do not count toward a professor's teaching requirements. The administration does kick in a small stipend.

"We buy equipment," Sandwell said. "Then we have a pizza party."

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tony.perry@latimes.com