Whether you like to call it that or not, surfing is a job for many who have the daily task and obligation of surfing for a living.

Professional surfers have the sea as their office, airports as their bus stops and championships as a constant evaluation of whether their productivity level is good, bad or more or less.

They don't have to be crammed into an office, the only times they visit are to sign the contract that gives them the freedom (the money) to live life on the beach.

And, like any job, professional surfing has its ups, downs and downsides. We talked about this with some of the best pros in the market. Here's what they had to say:

Garazi Sanchez

What's the best thing about waking up every day knowing that your job is to surf?
Going to work smiling is a success, that's the best thing.

What do you think when you see a person in a suit in the city?
I respect all lifestyles and I think there are many people in suits who love their work. But I do think how different our reality is and how different I would be if I had been born in a city.

There must be something that you either don't like or maybe like less about your job, what is it?
Surfing in winter in the north, I hate the cold.

Manuel Selman

What's the best thing about waking up every day knowing that your job is to surf?
I'm lucky to do what I like the most and I get paid for it..

What do you think when you see a person in a suit in the city?
I wonder if that person is doing what they are passionate about or not at work, and I think about how lucky I am to not have to be in an office from 8 to 6..

There must be something that you either don't like or maybe like less about your job, what is it?
What I don't like about my job is that, unlike other jobs, you don't get paid for your position or for how well you do things. In the past, they did, but now brands pay and sponsor you for how you look, whether or not you appear on TV, your fame and the number of followers you have on social media. It's a shame.

Luisma Iturria

What's the best thing about waking up every day knowing that your job is to surf?
It's a great thing because surfing is the best sport in the world. Earning money for doing what you like the most is amazing and at the same time I can dedicate a lot of my time to everything that surrounds surfing.  Training, traveling, competing, searching for new waves, discovering new destinations, exploring; each of these things has its rewards.

What do you think when you see a person in a suit in the city?
That person in a suit has to do that, go to work in a suit because someone has to fill that job position.. I couldn't put myself in his place, perhaps he couldn't put himself in mine either.

There must be something that you either don't like or maybe like less about your job, what is it?
We spend many days without waves or with a long winter, in my case, living in Uruguay. Also, we don't have good waves very often, which makes it a bit frustrating sometimes.

Marcelo Rodríguez

What's the best thing about waking up every day knowing that your job is to surf?
Being a professional athlete is no longer my daily routine, but I still take it that way. I think I'm lucky to have been able to make a living from surfing, to have visited so many places, to have done the world circuit and, above all, to have made so many friends. The best thing about waking up and thinking about going surfing is that you plan all the other activities of the day based on going to the best place with the best conditions.

What do you think when you see a person in a suit in the city?
I think he's probably enjoying his job too. I think the perfect job is doing what you're passionate about, whether it's surfing, business, design, whatever.

There must be something that you either don't like or maybe like less about your job, what is it?
The worst thing is when for some reason you are planning events and you know that you have to have a good result to continue traveling.

Gabriel Villaran

What's the best thing about waking up every day knowing that your job is to surf?
First of all, that it is never the same, it is free and that creativity is part of my daily life, something that motivates me to always be in the water!

What do you think when you see a person in a suit in the city?
I'm thankful that my suit is a wetsuit or a boardshort!

There must be something that you either don't like or maybe like less about your job, what is it?
Sometimes I feel cold, hungry or far from home… But it is minimal.

Miguel Tudela

What's the best thing about waking up every day knowing that your job is to surf?
Getting to know the world, meeting new people and making friends. Besides, there is something better than living off sport, and more so from a sport like surfing that always brings you new things and different things; every swell, every trip, every experience is different… And well, getting paid to do what you like the most is priceless!

What do you think when you see a person in a suit in the city?
I think he is a person who is doing the same thing as me, except that he has to live in a different reality and I hope he is working on what he likes and what he decided to study in order to work on.

It's a life I might not be able to lead, but he might not be able to lead mine.

There must be something that you either don't like or maybe like less about your job, what is it?
You always want what you don't have, and with all the traveling I'd like to spend a little more time at home. It's something that many people want the opposite way around, people want to travel, but after a few years, you want to spend a little more time at home.

Roberto Bibi Rodriguez

What's the best thing about waking up every day knowing that your job is to surf?
Get up, make coffee and take the cup to see my beautiful office which is the beach and watch its waves and then go to train…

What do you think when you see a person in a suit in the city?
I think they are all warriors, both men and women, because I know that they fought hard to get there and put on that suit, and I always have respect for that, as well as for myself; to be able to get here and be able to live and enjoy this, I fought hard.

There must be something that you either don't like or maybe like less about your job, what is it?
There are two things I don't like about my job: When there are no waves and losing when I'm competing.