Photos: How one program is changing surf culture in San Francisco

By Autumn DeGrazia Photos by Autumn DeGraziaPublished Jun. 22, 2025 • 7:00am

Rosa Preciado dreamed of surfing, just as her father and grandfather had when they lived in Mexico, chasing waves in Baja California and Sinaloa. But growing up, her dad spent his days running the family taco truck and didn’t have much time to teach his daughter to surf.

Then as a sophomore at Leadership High School, Rosa learned of an Intro to Surfing class, subsidized by City Surf Project. She enrolled. Two years later, she spent every Friday of her senior spring surfing at Bay Area beaches.

A person on a surfboard sits in the water near the Golden Gate Bridge, with hills in the background and a pier extending out into the water. — Rosa Preciado, 17, waits for a wave at Crissy Field.

Her father loved that she was surfing but didn’t love that most of the others in the class were boys. At times, Rosa was the only female student. “I’ll show them to respect me,” she thought. That she did.

Now that she knows how to surf, Rosa’s dream is to travel to Baja, where her father, grandfather, and cousins once surfed.

“They are my idols,” she said.

A white van with "City Surf" and a surfing silhouette is shown. Surfboards and a green item are on the roof rack under a clear blue sky. — The City Surf Project van at Linda Mar State Beach.

A person wearing a wetsuit pulls a red shirt over their head. Another person stands nearby, while shadows and a grassy area with parked cars are visible. — Program Coordinator Kasumi Collins, left, and students rinse off.

City Surf Project was founded 11 years ago by San Francisco natives Johnny Irwin and Hunter Chiles. The idea was to open surfing to communities that had traditionally been underrepresented because of stigma, redlining, or just the high cost of entry.

Three people, wearing wetsuits and holding surfboards, cross a road with cars queued nearby. The sky is overcast, and greenery lines the road. — Leadership High School students cross the freeway at Miramar State Beach. | Source: Autumn DeGrazia

“Our work is inherently political,” said Gwen Debaun, development manager of City Surf Project. “We’re getting people that were historically unable to go to the beach and participate in a sport that’s so expensive. Every time we take a student group out, it is a political statement.”

The program serves schools throughout San Francisco under Title I, a federal grant providing funding as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which advances equity to disadvantaged and high-need students between kindergarten and 12th grade. City Surf Project currently serves more than 10 schools in the San Francisco Unified School District.

City Surf Project gives students the opportunity to get on a board as they learn about tides, winds, ecosystems, and sustainability.

“We’re demystifying the ocean for kids,” Debaun said.

A person in a red shirt and wetsuit kneels on a surfboard in the ocean, with arms outstretched as sunlight beams down from a clear sky. — Aptos Middle school student Adonis kneels on his board.

Two people in wetsuits and orange shirts are sitting on a surfboard in the ocean, smiling as a wave splashes around them. Hills and houses are visible in the background. — Thomas Duarte, left, and Gabriel Amador, right, ride a surfboard tandem at Linda Mar State Beach.

City Surf Project also emphasizes community outreach. In early April, 11 students from Leadership High School visited Alcatraz to learn the history of the island. They often go to Linda Mar State Beach, Crissy Field, and Miramar Beach in Half Moon Bay. With school out of session, City Surf Project is hosting community surf meetups and weeklong summer camps.