All’s Calm So Far as Students Hit Beach : Spring break: No arrests or trouble from those on vacation is reported. Many enjoying the ambience and surf are avoiding notoriously wild Palm Springs.

Spring break got under way in Orange County on Saturday with a mild start as collegians surfed, sunned, shopped and hit the bars in the evening.

No arrests or trouble from rowdy students was reported, according to police and lifeguards, in contrast with the activity in the longtime spring break mecca, Palm Springs.

In fact, many of the spring break visitors said they came to Orange County beachside communities specifically to avoid the rowdiness that has forced Palm Springs officials to crack down on celebrators. By nightfall Saturday, law enforcement officers in Palm Springs had made 139 arrests and issued 700 citations, most of them related to alcohol.

Sam Foster, 25, was one student who came to Orange County in search of a placid vacation. The senior from College of the Desert, a junior college 15 minutes outside Palm Springs, said he left town to escape the crowds.

“Palm Springs locals have to either get out of town or stay in their houses,” Foster said. “While the beach people invade the desert, the desert people invade the beach. There are too many people, too many cops” in Palm Springs, he said.

Visitors from as far away as Maine came to the coast. Many of them, veterans of spring breaks elsewhere, said they prefer the docile ambience of Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.

“I’ve been to Daytona and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,” said Lisa St. Claire, a UC Berkeley sophomore. “It’s a lot more mellow here. Down here you can rage, but in a responsible way. In Palm Springs, everyone is getting arrested and getting into trouble.”

Besides, she added, in Orange County “the men are all locals, and they’re all gorgeous. If you go to any of the famous spring break places, they’re all from Idaho and Nebraska.”

Mutt Lynch’s, a popular bar and restaurant in Newport Beach, was packed to capacity as students mixed with Newport residents to play pool and sip out of goblets that hold 2 1/2 cans of beer.

Lisa Collins, a senior from the University of Maine and a native of Boston, she said she liked the easygoing California demeanor.

“Why am I in Newport Beach on spring break?” Collins asked. “Because it’s fun. This is the place to be. People here are so casual, laid back and friendly. The weather’s great, but the people are greater.”

Mike Hronek, 21, a junior from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, came to Orange County for something different.

“I’ve been to Florida for three years, but this is a lot better,” Hronek said. “It’s more exciting here. There are more interesting people--they’re weirder. They just do whatever they want.”

Earlier in the day, students shopped at stores on the shady streets of Balboa and tested waves one to two feet high.

But cloudy skies and chilly temperatures discouraged large numbers of students from flocking to the beaches. About 25,000 spring-break visitors were expected at Newport Beach alone. But crowd estimates from Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington State and Bolsa Chica State beaches totaled just 12,000.

“It’s just like a regular weekend day,” said Christina O’Rourk, a dispatcher for Huntington State Beach. “You can’t even tell it’s spring break. We don’t have vehicles waiting to get in. I think everyone is in Palm Springs.”

Joe Heur, 19, a sophomore from San Diego State University, and his friends specifically avoided going to Palm Springs. “In Palm Springs, they’re kicking everybody out,” he said.

Instead, Heur was “soaking up rays” through the clouds at Newport Beach.

His friend Jason, a 17-year-old high school student from Victorville, quaffed a beer just after bodysurfing.

“If I had brought a Boogie Board I would have had a lot more fun,” Savage said, his black hair dripping and his chest reddening with sunburn.

Newport Beach Police Sgt. John Freeman said that drinking on the beach is a violation of city code punishable by a fine and that underage drinking also breaks state laws on minors possessing alcohol.

“It’s just a complete no-no,” Freeman said. “We write a lot of alcohol tickets. If you have good ID and are not much of a problem, then you get away with only a ticket,” which includes a court appearance and a fine.

But laws against public drinking did not stop students from bringing beer to the beach. Jason and his friends kept their beer cans covered with beach towels as police and lifeguards passed.

Near the Balboa Pier, Mark Marinko, 21, a junior from Cal State Sacramento, and his friends poured Coors beer into cups and drank them.

“We’re sleeping here tonight. This is our house,” he said, pointing to a beach blanket strewn with clothes, paper bags and sunglasses. “It’s only got one bedroom, but it’s OK.”

NO MAYHEM: Students in Palm Springs create gridlock but no major problems. A30