Dawn Patrol:

A couple of weeks ago I was shown a newspaper article about the therapeutic value of surfing.

That’s an interesting topic because most people don’t surf. But for those of us who do it’s about as much of a revelation as Tiger Woods is a good golfer, and if you were to require proof you’d need to look no further than Doheny State Beach where every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday a group of senior surfers meets there to catch some waves and keep the stoke going.

When I say “senior” I don’t mean 65, we’re talking about 79 plus. The core of the group is the trio of Ross McAdam, age 79, Fred Casserio, 81 and Don Benson 79. San Onofre regulars, Ross and Fred, along with the late Doug Craig, were dubbed, “The Three Wise Men,” for the sage advice they gave younger surfers regarding business and financial matters. Don was also part of that long-time San-O crew and is now the third wise man. Sometimes they’re joined by their friend Eve Fletcher, 83, who surfed San-O and Hawaii with Marge Calhoun in the 50s. For the last year and a half they’ve made Doheny their home break because it’s less crowded there, but when the south swells stop they’ll migrate back to San Onofre for the winter.

The “3 Wisemen” (as Don’s T-shirt reads) roll up around 10 in their SUVs with all the appropriate stickers: “Eddie Would Go,” and, “Old Guys Rule,” and if there’s anything to ride they’re out there.

This week I had the pleasure of paddling out with them and catching some waves. We enjoyed the warm water and sunshine and talked about their surfing adventures in Hawaii, Mexico and Nicaragua, and the stand-up paddlers preparing for an offshore race who for some reason found it absolutely critical to make plowing through our lineup part of their practice course.

Tuesday we had a great group. Don’s friend Al joined us. He’s the new member of the crew and at age 70 is the oldest beginner I know. We watched Al catch one of his first waves. He got on all fours and managed to trim the board parallel to the face. After cruising for 20 yards he got to his feet just as the wave ended.

Al’s got some great teachers. You can pick Ross out easily because he wears a white surfing helmet that reminds me of years ago when helmets were required at the Huntington contest. Fred wears one too, but his is black. He’s had an ongoing bout with arthritis but he still gets plenty of waves paddling and riding in a recumbent position.

My buddy Rat Jr. was also with us. Hanging with the Wisemen gave him a new perspective on his recent 60th birthday.

He told me, “It was a real inspiration to think that 20 years from now I’ll still be able to enjoy surfing.”

That reminded me of what Ross said to me when I told him I hoped I’d still be surfing at his age.

“You will — just don’t stop,” he said.

JOHN BURTON’S surf column appears Fridays. He may be reached by e-mail at hot_dogger@mac.com.