Sean Mauldin grew up just a few blocks from the beach in Fort Pierce, so the avid surfer easily could check the waves once or twice a day. But now that he attends the University of Miami in Coral Gables, he needs a little help.

During the school year, Mauldin uses a Web site, Surfline, to monitor surf conditions in Fort Pierce and around the state. The site offers reports and even video feeds from 16 beaches in Florida � including Fort Pierce and Sebastian Inlet on the Treasure Coast.

"While I'm at school, it's a good way to keep up with it � to decide whether to come home and surf," said the 22-year-old Mauldin, who lives in Fort Pierce during the summer break. "I can get surf reports for places 20 to 30 minutes away, so I can kinda pick where the best spot to surf is."

Monitoring conditions is even more important during the summer when there are smaller waves.

Mauldin has used the Web to monitor surf conditions for eight years. Surfline caught his attention five or six years ago, and it has been his home page ever since.

The site has a habit of landing consistent users, Fort Lauderdale native Joe Perrotto said.

"Once I used it and noticed how they update every day, it's like your number-one source," Perrotto said. "There's nowhere else you can get reports like that. I'm sure it's the same for everybody. Once they use it once, they're hooked."

Dave Gilovich, Surfline's executive vice president, said the site's founders expected that reaction.

"A lot of people around and involved with surfing before the Internet shared the same sort of fantasy where you'd say, 'I wish there was a way to find out what it was like up there,'" Gilovich said. "When Web cams first came on the market, it was like, 'Gosh, that would be perfect for surfers.'"

Surfline began in 1995 and offered the world's first surf cam in 1996. Since then, the company has expanded and now offers more than 100 camera views from around the world, as well as weather and wave reports and other features.

Gilovich said the site tries to provide reports and video footage from the best public, accessible surf spots. The site offers live streaming video from Sebastian Inlet and prerecorded video footage from Fort Pierce.

After checking Surfline daily for years, Mauldin now records the Fort Pierce video footage for the site. Mauldin normally visited the beach to check the waves around 6 or 7 a.m. anyway. Now he simply brings his camera with him and then uploads the video and surf report to the Web site. He makes $250 a month. When he returns to Miami, his brothers will take over the video duties.

Mauldin's work helps many surfers. Fort Pierce resident Taylor Brown uses the information to decide between Fort Pierce and Sebastian.

"If it looks better in Sebastian, I will go to Sebastian definitely," Brown said. "I stay pretty much within a shorter drive , but I will drive a bit to New Smyrna if I'm desperate enough."

Perrotto, another University of Miami student, uses the Web cams frequently. In Miami, there aren't many options, so he often drives north to West Palm Beach or Fort Pierce � if the conditions look good.

"In terms of getting your first initial idea of how it looks, you get the Surfline morning report and go from there," Perrotto said.