Freezing temperatures, violent tides and dense fog may not seem like the ideal conditions to jump in dark, swirling water with a foam and fiberglass panel but devout worshippers of Ocean Beach’s rough-and-tumble waves are looking forward to the best waves of the year this coming winter.

Sun, white sand, and scantily-clad hotties might be the scene in California surfing meccas like Santa Cruz, San Diego and Malibu but San Francisco’s wave-riding cornerstone is the foggy climate, treacherous waters and equipment-required Ocean Beach. Experienced surfers have learned to respect the fierce undertows and rip-tides, combat the hypothermic temperatures with wetsuits and even get past fear of San Francisco Bay’s infamous sharks.

The draw for amateurs and veterans is the same.

“It’s a great beach,” Josh Renkoph, 20, a SF State art major said. “Great water, great waves and it’s all right here.”

Endless summer isn’t a fable for surfers — fall and winter provide the biggest, and best, waves at Ocean Beach, according to veteran surfer Cliff Hodges, 27. Beginners should start at more predictable beaches like Santa Cruz or Pacifica according to Hodges, owner of an outdoor and extreme sport outfitter, Adventure Out.

“I’ve caught some of the best waves of my life there, but I’ve also taken the worst beating of my life there,” the Santa Cruz native said of Ocean Beach.

Experienced surfers are a little blasé about the dangers, they recognize the peril “but I don’t really think about it once I’m out there,” SF State student Anthony Macias said, after a lifetime of surfing in Southern California he moved to San Francisco to escape the crowd and “attitude” of sunny Los Angeles beaches.

“When it turns on it’s just amazing,” Macias said while glancing out the window of Aqua’s Surf Shop, where he works part-time, toward the seemingly calm waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The secret of Ocean Beach’s waves is circulating more and more among the surfing community, Macias said, the past two years he’s noticed more traffic than his previous two years.

“It’s definitely been blowing up,” he said.

The surfing community, a loose collection of individuals across the globe, acknowledge it’s an entity with “its own etiquette and culture” and usually a solitary sport once they’re in the water, Hodges said.

SF State Business School graduate George Nixon grew up around the snowy peaks of Montana but, since his move to San Francisco almost a decade ago admits it takes more endurance to paddle out and stay in the right spot at Ocean Beach.

Most surfers attribute the low number of deaths to vigilant regulars of Ocean Beach who regularly help beginner surfers out of tight spots.

The Golden Gate National Park Police agree, “The surfing group monitors themselves and there haven’t been many problems,” U.S. Park Police spokesman Michael Feinstein said.

In 2006 a man died while rescuing two young boys from drowning during a hot San Francisco day. Earlier the same year a surfer was found dead near Sloat Boulevard, according to statistics from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Seven others have died since 1998.

The ominous signs posted warn “Danger - Rip Currents - People Swimming and Wading Have Drowned Here” but even on a cool day it’s not uncommon to see people splashing in the water.

The “dynamic waves” are both a thing of beauty and betrayal as millions of gallons of water rushing in and out of the San Francisco Bay create huge pulls and swells. The side effect is a strong riptide and undercurrents of cold water rushing toward the surface.

“It’s hard to tell from shore what type of waves are out there,” Hodges said.