BREAK: Students Hit Beach in Rite of Spring : Students Hit the Beach During Rite of Spring

A swarm of vacationing students hit San Diego beaches this week during the annual ritual of relaxation and pleasure-seeking known as spring break.

“San Diego is great!” said University of Colorado student Richard Beeson, among those who skipped Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach in favor of San Diego. Beeson, 19, and his college friends were sunning themselves at Pacific Beach.

“We came for sun, women and good times,” said Beeson. “We’ve already gone through five cases of beer.”

Although there are plenty of other beaches in San Diego County, 18-year-old Mesa College student K.C. Colabine said: “The strip between Pacific Beach and Mission Beach is the most happening place.”

He said he had been there since 10 a.m. and was planning to stay until “about midnight . . . As many people as are out here now, will be here tonight.”

But the best part of break is “no tests, no midterms and we got the boys together. . . . We haven’t been together in a long time,” said Jonathan Bayani, 21, in his fourth year at San Diego State University.

For some merchants, the surge of sunbathers meant an unexpected business boon. Dave McDaniel, owner of The Pier House Food and Ice Cream store in Pacific Beach, said he did “about 60%” more business than normal, the increase coming in ice cream, sunglasses and T-shirt sales.

“It kind of caught me off guard today,” said McDaniel. “I didn’t think the weather was going to be so good. But I’ve been very busy all day. I’ve been on the phone ordering things all day. I’ll be ready for it tomorrow.”

The San Diego Police Department reported no problems with the beach crowds, but it has increased patrols, a spokeswoman said.

Lifeguards also reported minimal problems, but a spokesman at Silver Strand State Beach said 12 people were rescued Monday and 18 Tuesday, with crowd estimates at 1,500 Monday and 3,000 Tuesday. During the two days, there were 52 rescues and about 50,000 people at all city beaches. At North County beaches, 13 rescues were made both Monday and Tuesday with a crowd estimate of 8,000-10,000 each day.

Although some of those rescued were high school and college students, most of the people who needed rescuing at all of the beaches were “tourists . . . out-of-towners who don’t really know the ocean,” Solana Beach lifeguard captain Andy O’Leary said.