Every day is a good day to learn more about UC San Diego, but we've chosen a particular one to spread knowledge with our new feature called "Triton Tuesday." Each Tuesday, get the inside scoop with fun facts about Triton athletics, the UC San Diego campus and community, and our beautiful home of San Diego, California, in a Did You Know? format.
 
As we learned in last week's Triton Tuesday segment, UC San Diego's proximity to the beach is a major attraction for current and future students. At the same time, the neighboring ocean calls for access to arguably one of California's best surf breaks in California.
 
Located just below the cliffs of Torrey Pines Glider Port, down the steep, narrow dirt trail lies Black's Beach. While known for its clothing-optional appeal for some, Black's Beach is simultaneously famous for its forceful and two-way hollow waves.
 

In the late 1970's, the perfect curls initiated the launch of UC San Diego's first surf team, one which still exists to this day. One of 30 Triton sports clubs, the surf team holds practices within the challenging barrels of Black's Beach. Competition includes contests against other colleges along the coast in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA).
 
In 2018, UC San Diego was named the nation's number one surf-friendly schools by Surfer Magazine. With entry to the famous lineup of waves just a short distance from campus to water, it comes with no surprise that the Triton surf team has collected a total of six NSSA National Championships. 
 

In addition to the nearby waves at Black's Beach, student and staff surfers of UC San Diego can explore other nearby surf locations including Scripps Beach or La Jolla Shores, which offer their own unique qualities.

Any interest in traveling a little bit further? In either direction along the coast, surf is endorsed from San Onofre, Del Mar, Cardiff Reef and Windansea to Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Coronado and more. All locations are simply just a car ride away from La Jolla. 
 
Furthermore, UC San Diego Recreation offers a program highlighting the fundamentals of surfing, providing students an introduction to the skill set through both land and water-based instruction. Beyond the physical component of the sport, Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) dives a little deeper, supporting a class titled Physics of Surfing (SIO 87), a freshman seminar course. 
 
On top of being one of the best research institutions in the nation, its high academic expectations, competitive athletic teams, unbeatable weather, and endless surf opportunities, what's not to love about UC San Diego?
 
 
PRIOR TRITON TUESDAYS
• 1992 Dream Team Finds a Home at Main Gym (Sept. 1)
• UC San Diego Home to Award-Winning Faculty (Sept. 8)
• UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame (Sept. 15)
• Exploring Dr. Seuss in San Diego (Sept. 22)
• La Jolla's Wonderful Weather (Sept. 29)
• Academic Excellence on Display by the Tritons (Oct. 6)
• Getting to Know Our Unique College System (Oct. 13)
• La Jolla's Local Beaches (Oct. 20)
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide more than 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. In addition, 83 Tritons have been named Academic All-Americans, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.