Surfin Fire Surf School, Encinitas

A lifelong surfer and 23-year veteran of the Encinitas Fire Department, Jon Peterson couldn't be blamed for using his 10 gold medals in the firefighter surfing olympics as proof of his talent. But instead, he points to the achievements of his daughters. When they reached surfing age, Jon translated his passion into pedagogy, and created a surfing curriculum for the girls that helped them receive top honors in the ISF and WSA series. Meanwhile, Jon grew that curriculum into the foundation of Surfin Fire, which has earned sponsorship from Billabong Surf Camps.

During classes for surfers of all ages and abilities, Jon teaches surfing techniques along with the safety and CPR skills he learned as a firefighter. He keeps the student-to-teacher ratio at 4:1, so he can spend ample time helping each person learn to nail positioning, foot placement, and putting on the leash.