Money, beautiful beaches and surfing.

After watching movies like"Fast Times at Ridgemont High," it seems easy to associate these with Southern California.

But some surfers in this part of SoCal lack the vacant, drug-induced expressions and excessive"radical" use of their forefathers. Instead, once they hit the beach, Marine wave-jockeys seem equipped with a more volatile personality.

It's an almost unstable mix of the rigid discipline of a professional war-fighter, with the anxious unease of an adrenaline junkie.

"Some do it for fun, others, like me, do it because they're addicted,"said John Lindsley, an Oceanside resident who works for Christian Surfing Federation and has been catching waves for about 35 years.

For years before the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the waves at Del Mar Beach were a hot spot for both civilian and Marine surfers alike.

However, with the current state of alertness in America, the beach has imposed tighter restrictions and is generally limited to military personnel.

Good news for Marines and those lucky few civilians with a need for speed.

"I'll get up at two in the morning just to surf under a full moon,"Lindsley said.

"Going fast ..."said Pfc. Zach Navarre, putting it simply as he stared into the ocean. "It's a rush."

What's almost scary is that other surfers don't seem to find anything strange with this borderline obsessive behavior.

Fights over waves and trash-talk are commonplace. Mix that with a sense of camaraderie and you have the standard for those looking to conquer the ocean on a piece of wood, said Lance Cpl. Matt Machonis, a heavy equipment mechanic with 1st Maintenance Battalion.

"Of course the adrenaline rush is great,"said Navarre, a field radio operator for 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion. "But what's even better is that risk of going down - hard."

Growing up surfing since he could walk, Machonis, 20, from Annapolis, Md., said one of the best parts of the sport is that anyone can do it, all they need are some time, a board and an iron will.

And for Marines here ... guts aren't a problem.