The coast of North Carolina is vibrant and historical, attracting national tourists as well as those who want to live a quiet beach life.

Raleigh is only a few hours’ drive from the coast, but the members of the Surf Club still feel landlocked.

“It’s hard being from the coast and living in Raleigh,” Kinley Taylor, a sophomore in industrial engineering from Charleston, S.C., said. “It’s like we’re separated from something that’s a part of us. It’s nice to come to State and find people who have the same love.”

The club started as a Facebook group, which has 32 members. The description of the group reads: “Surfers of all skill levels at N.C. State unite to go on surfing trips and do other sweet surf-related activities … basically the most awesome club known to mankind. Yeah.”

Though only about 10 people come to any given meeting, Wilmington native John Horner, a freshman in aerospace engineering, said the group is a good place to meet people.

“There are not enough real people here [at State],” Horner said. “But everyone here [in the group] seems to be real.”

Horner has only been coming to meetings this semester. On March 29, he wrote on the wall of the Facebook group: “Yo, it was pretty tight meeting ya’ll. It’s got my stoke back up after moving to this landlocked place.”

Junior Jeff Gray, who is studying abroad in Australia this semester, started the group during the 2006 fall semester.

Dave Hurt, a sophomore in zoology, has taken over for Gray.

“We want to spread the joy of surfing to everyone, no matter if you’ve never surfed before, because it’s an amazing thing, and to help the community, definitely,” Hurt said. “And we want to show that surfers aren’t slackers. We really do care.”

Daniel Almirall, a sophomore in textile engineering, said a major goal of the group is to become a club sport and become competitive.

“It’s hard to find people around N.C. State, especially if you grew up on the coast,” Almirall said. “You come up here, and it’s like a culture shock because people on the coast are different.”

Charlotte native Christa Campbell, a junior in sports management, is the unofficial secretary of the group and got involved in the club because of Hurt, her boyfriend.

“I don’t surf. I’ve never surfed before, and it was a culture shock for me when I went to the beach to see him,” Campbell said, pointing to Hurt. “Everyone there is a surfer, and it’s a cool thing.”

The organization is beginning the process of becoming officially recognized by the University as a club sport.

During a recent meeting, Almirall went through the necessary procedure for the group to become a club sport, asking for input from the group before filling out the registration form. Finding an adviser was first on the list.

“To become an official club sport, you have to have at least 10 people,” Almirall said. “You have to be evaluated for two semesters to make sure you’re not just joking around or anything. You get a lot more money from club sports, which is the main reason I want to join.”

He noted it’s an extensive process to become an official club sport.

“It’s a lot more structured. You have to send someone to a monthly meeting for all club sports. They [Club Sports] said for the rest of this semester, work on getting the word out, and next semester we’ll help you go to some real events, trips. We need to get officers for a whole year, because as of right now everyone’s kind of bouncing around a little bit,” Almirall said. “By the third semester we’ll get our analysis from Club Sports, so maybe by two years from now we’ll actually be a club sport, so that’s the goal.”

Almirall said the Club Sports office compared the group to the Ski Club, which has three or four set events in which it competes every year, with at least one long trip, like to Utah, a year.

“We can volunteer at a couple surfing competitions, pick a couple annual events we can go to,” Almirall said. “And we can go on our spring break trip every year.”

By next semester, Almirall said, the group should elect officers and organize some events, as well as organize the goals of club to present to the Club Sports office.

While the club is looking to compete, there are no intercollegiate surfing championships on the East Coast, members said. Members suggested going to Student Government for money to travel to competitions since the club is still only a student organization and not a club sport.

Members still travel to surf on their own. Horner said he’s traveled along the East Coast, through North Carolina, up to New Jersey and down to Florida to find waves. Sophomore in business management Jonathan Barnes said he’s stayed within North Carolina.

“It’s easy, and there’s good surf,” Barnes said. “The Outer Banks of North Carolina is pretty much world-renown anyway.”

Barnes started out skateboarding and began surfing three years ago. He said he surfs every “surfable” day in the summer and helps manage a surf shop in Kill Devil Hills.

Wrightsville Beach, Cape Hatteras and Wilmington came up often in conversation as good surf spots. Taylor, who has been surfing for four years, said she prefers the waves in North Carolina.

Hurt pointed out that many members of the group would be spending the summer at home near the coast, so anyone else interested in traveling to surf should stay in touch.

“We’ll be living the dream,” Almirall said.

Other club members added their own touch.

“Instead of living in Raleigh,” they said.