The Best Kind of Wake-Up Call

Andrew Jones woke up to the surprise of his phone’s ringtone sounding off. It was 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning and he didn’t set an alarm the night before; he was getting a phone call. Andrew answered the mysterious call to hear one of his buddies saying these simple words: “The waves are firing.”

Not a lot of things can get a typical USC senior going through their final semester out of bed this early, especially after a Friday night out bar-hopping with friends.

But for the Malibu native to hear his longtime surf buddy describe the waves as “firing,” “peeling” and “offshore” at one of their favorite spots in Venice beach, the phone call literally became a wake-up call to get out of bed and into the water.

Andrew rushed down to Venice and was in the water by 10 a.m. There was a light drizzle that morning, but the skies cleared up about 20 minutes after Andrew paddled out. In turn, an extraordinary and rare phenomenon occurred. A double rainbow formed over Andrew and the rest of the Venice beachgoers that morning.

Times like these are why Andrew loves surfing so much.

Andrew began surfing at 9 years old off the coast of Malibu, California. Andrew’s dad taught him how to surf and was there for the first time Andrew stood up on a long board.

The luxury of living minutes away from the beach caused Andrew to be bitten by the surf bug.

Today, Andrew studies economics and political science with plans in finding a career in financial analysis or entertainment. Outside of school, Andrew describes surfing as one of his favorite things to do.

“Whenever I sleep at home, and not at school, I will try to go and surf at least once a day,” Andrew said.

The feeling of just paddling out in the water is something that Andrew finds extremely relaxing; he sees it as one of his getaways from school and work.

“It’s just different than most activities,” he said. “The mood you’re put in after going to the gym doesn’t compare to how you feel after surfing. With surfing, you’re forced to leave your phone behind and actually talk to people.”