This thesis analyzes the structure of identity among surfers in Southern California, who constitute a subculture of American society. Surfer identity is shown to be derived from the act and the setting of surfing itself, from the individual's personal background and motivation for surfing, and from the social interaction among surfers on and off the water. / Influences on the identity of surfers as a group include the surfers' own feeling of separateness from American society, surfer communication via the surf economy, the strong association of surfing with adolescence, and the portrayal of surfer symbols in the national media. The outward form of the "surf culture" changes in response to these influences, but the basic identity of surfers remains the same over time.

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