As the wave gathered behind him, Donovan Torres, perched on a surfboard for the first time in his life, began flapping his arms like a baby seal. Behind Torres, an instructor guided the tail of the board into the developing curl. Torres clambored to a standing position, arms still pinwheeling, legs skittering like a newborn pony. As he gained his balance in the whitewater near shore, Torres managed to look at his family, grinning and flashing a “shaka” hand signal. The Manhattan Beach police officer was having the time of his life in his maiden surfing experience. The opportunity at…