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It is not unusual to see sand on the feet of Bulli High School students or a line of surfboards drying in the playground.
The school is a 60-second walk from Bulli Beach, and a couple of minutes further to one of the country's best surf breaks at Sandon Point.
The famous Sandon Point Boardriders club was even formed on the school's grounds in 1980.
"We surf every day and it's so good we have a world-class break we get to practise on every day," Bulli High School year 12 student Amira Rankin said.
"With surfing, you're never good enough, but I've been doing it since I was six and started loving it and doing it every day since I was 11."
With its proximity to the ocean, surfing and life at the school are intertwined.
"Most subjects we get to go down swimming, surfing and diving. It's so good," she said.
Attracting top talent for surfing program
While it is not one of the state's seven specialist sports high schools, Bulli High is not hiding the fact it wants to become a centre of excellence for surfing.
"This year, the changes have been we've formalised our surfing program, so we've had trials, we have amazing coaches who are ex-alumni and other people helping us," principal Denise James said.
"We're recognising that students need to improve and be coached in surfing, but also in their lifestyle habits, planning for the future and looking at surfing as a career and the options that come with that."
Teacher David Strange said the program would offer lessons in financial planning, mental health, nutrition, and Aboriginal creation stories around the ocean.
He said the school would gradually incorporate students who did not surf but could contribute to the school's surfing program in other ways.
"We see it as a cottage industry, so why wouldn't we get kids who are already musicians, artists, and designers to be part of this movement?
"We're hoping to build a recording studio to make surf music and we'll get kids designing T-shirts and surfboards."
Surfing honour board
As part of honouring the school's rich surfing history, Mr Strange and Ms James have been leading a project to get the names of any former Bulli High student who has represented New South Wales or Australia in surfing on a commemorative surfboard.
The wooden surfboard made by former student Jason Gava will be displayed in the school.
"It's about honouring the past but also giving our current surfers the chance to aspire to greatness and it's about identifying these surfers who have surfed for us in 1986 and bringing them back home," Mr Strange said.
The school's catchment also includes the Scarborough Boardriders Club in the northern suburbs of Wollongong and Mr Strange said the response to the call-out for names for the board had been "overwhelming".
"People are proud of the school, and I'm realising we're a part of a much bigger community than we even thought we were," he said.
"We want everyone to recognise their history and create traditions in the school that make future students envious of the school and want to come here."
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