Surfing Santa spotted shredding waves in Cocoa Beach
COCOA BEACH — Santa Claus appeared atop a surfboard this afternoon — in red board shorts and red long-sleeve shirt — amid an Atlantic "washing machine" of pounding 6-foot waves, eliciting shrieks from hundreds of children and spectators at Shepard Park.
After coasting to the beach on his chest, Santa — a.k.a. Melbourne professional surfer Corey Howell — quickly donned a red cap, white beard and sunglasses. Then he grabbed a basket and started handing out candy canes to kids and posing for photos.
"So, one of my little evil elves and Rudolph got taken out on a jet ski and caught as many waves as we could," Howell explained to a group of wet-footed television camera operators.
Jolly St. Nick's aquatic appearance kicked off Cocoa Beach's Christmas season and served as a teaser of next month's Surfing Santas event.
"This is just a preview, ladies and gentlemen — a preview of Dec. 24 at 8 a.m. at the end of Minutemen Causeway: Surfing Santas," Hunter Joslin, a longtime Melbourne Beach surfer who will be inducted in the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in January, announced over the public-address system.
"We're looking for 300 to 500 surfing Santas. And you can take part in that. Show up at the beach Dec. 24 in a Santa outfit and your surfboard, boogie board, stand-up paddleboard, whatever you want to go surfing, to be counted in a world-record attempt for the most Santa Clauses surfing on Christmas Eve," Joslin said.
‘Surfin’ Santas’ draws hundreds near Cocoa Beach
Holiday carols blared from loudspeakers on the beach. That's where hundreds of people stood in line for free photos with a second Santa Claus: Rockledge surfer Cliff Keuhner, who sat in a lifeguard chair. Beneath a tent, M.J. Twinley, a Palm City surfer and author of children's books, autographed copies of her latest tome, "Surfing Santa."
Last year's event in downtown Cocoa Beach attracted nearly 300 surfing Santas, 18 skydiving Santas and more than 4,000 spectators. Fat Kahuna’s Beachside Grille served an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast and donated the proceeds to the event, and the city and Ron Jon Surf Shop served as sponsors.
Proceeds from next month's event will benefit the Florida Surf Museum; Grind for Life, a nonprofit that helps cancer patients make long commutes to medical facilities; and the Life is Good Kids Foundation, said George Trosset, who founded Surfing Santas in 2009.
That's the year Trosset, his son George Jr. and daughter-in-law Britteny dressed in Yuletide attire and caught some waves near their South 24th Street home. The sole spectator was the couple's 2-year-old son, Anderson.
Popularity spurs Surfing Santas evolution
George Trosset Jr. recalled his initial reaction to his father's bizarre idea.
"Back on Christmas Eve Eve — Dec. 23 at like 7 p.m. — I'm out doing what most men are doing right before Christmas: shopping. And I get a phone call from my dad. He says, "George, what are you doing? I need you to go buy two elf outfits and meet me at the beach tomorrow to go surfing,'" he said.
"I literally took the phone away from my ear and looked at it," he described, taking his phone away from his ear and looking at it.
Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter
'Surfing Santas Day'
Last week, Cocoa Beach Mayor Dave Netterstrom publicly read a tongue-in-cheek resolution proclaiming that Dec. 24 is Surfing Santas Day. An excerpt:
"Whereas, it is well known that Santa’s favorite pastimes are (in no particular order) Standup Surfing, Longboard Surfing, Shortboard Surfing, Boogieboard Surfing, Body Surfing, Sky Surfing; and,
Whereas, it is well known Santa likes to use the morning of Christmas Eve (before his big night) to pursue his favorite pastime; and,
Whereas, the city of Cocoa Beach has hosted the largest Surfing Santas event on the planet Earth."