SURFING SANTA

A "bizarre" event to say the least, capable of attracting participants and enthusiasts of the world of surfing from all over the globe, as well as an excellent solution for combining the Christmas holidays with wave sports.
Today our WIJI EDITORIAL blog takes you to discover "Surfing Santa", a charity event which on December 24th will reach its 15th edition in Florida, precisely in Cocoa Beach.

"The more creative the costume, the greater the chances of winning" we read on the official registration website for the event. From the snowman, to Santa Claus and 'Mrs' Christmas, from the gingerbread man to the reindeer and elves... again this year the surfers who will come to the United States to celebrate together the love for this sport they know hundreds.
“We see people with longboards, shortboards, electric foilboards, paddleboards and kneeboards,” commented George Trosset, founder of the event. “Typically, these different 'classes' rival each other, but on this day everyone shares the waves and has fun.”

Registration for "Surfing Santa" is open to anyone. In fact, as the organizers point out, it is an event suitable for families and accessible even to the little ones struggling with their first experiences on the table.
The first edition of the event was held in 2009 almost for fun, but it wasn't long before interest was shown from sponsors and private charitable foundations. "Surging Santa" has in fact raised more than 100 thousand dollars over the years which have been allocated to local associations and initiatives, reaching the record of 837 surfers in Christmas costumes in 2017 and over 10 thousand onlookers.

Although "Surfing Santa" is the most famous version, similar events can also be found throughout South America (especially in Brazil) and especially in Australia, where a postage stamp was even dedicated to the surfer version of Santa Claus in 1977.

Although it may seem unusual to us, on the coasts of these countries the classic Santa Claus on a sleigh pulled by reindeer would actually be even more bizarre.