As a child, Adrian Broz learned to surf at Black’s Beach, a well-known spot at the UC San Diego campus. But when it came time to choose a college, he picked Cal Poly — largely because of its surfboard shaping class.

“I don’t know of any other school that has one,” said Broz, who is training to become one of the four teachers in the class. “It kind of sealed the deal for me.”

That shaping class, sponsored by Associated Students Inc., was one of the reasons Surfer magazine this week ranked Cal Poly fifth in its list of top 10 surfing colleges. Two years ago Surfline.com — a popular surfing website — ranked Cal Poly third in its top 10 surfing colleges.

Surfer magazine is one of the sport’s leading publications. In drawing up its list, the staff of Surfer looked at a variety of factors, including surf proximity and quality, academics and lifestyle. The magazine noted Cal Poly’s wine and viticulture courses, a hip downtown scene and largely empty surf lineups.

“With lots of uncrowded (albeit a bit cold and rumored to be sharky) surf,” Surfer wrote, “it’s the perfect option for surfing sommeliers — especially if they also happen to appreciate agriculture, since that’s what (Cal Poly) is known for.”

While Broz likes Cal Poly’s board-shaping class and facilities, he’s also a fan of the nearby surf. “Pretty much year-round there’s waves,” he said.

UCSB was listed by Surfer as the No. 1 spot while UC San Diego — Surfline’s top school — was listed third. Broz, whose father teaches political science at UC San Diego, didn’t want to compare that school with Cal Poly, though he did note the convenience of being a surfer at UC San Diego.

“It’s right on the cliff there above Black’s Beach,” he said. “You can walk off campus with your surf board and go surfing.”

Yet, Black’s Beach tends to draw crowds.

“Personally, I like to surf alone,” Broz said. “And here in San Luis, you can definitely find some uncrowded waves.”