Hundreds of Florida ‘Surfing Santas’ brave freezing Christmas Eve temperatures to surf for charity

Hundreds of “Surfing Santas” hit the seaside to catch some waves in Florida in a continuation of an annual custom that continued regardless of freezing temperatures within the Sunshine State.

The surfers, many of them wearing Christmas apparel, descended upon Cocoa Beach, Florida on Saturday morning participating in a charity occasion that began in 2009 however has grown every year to embrace greater than 800 “Surfing Santas” and almost 10,000 individuals gathered on the seaside to watch, WOFL-TV reported.

The occasion raised tens of hundreds of {dollars} for native charities within the space and advantages the Florida Surf Museum, which preserves the state’s browsing historical past, and an area charity named Grind For Life that helps individuals with most cancers.

“It’s become this really cool tradition and I couldn’t be prouder,” George Trosset, the creator of the occasion, informed the outlet.

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Surfer Corey Howell in an area man Surfing Santa swimsuit, rides with waves with different browsing Santas for the 14th annual Surfing Santas of Cocoa Beach occasion Christmas Eve morning, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022
((Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today by way of AP))

Last yr, Surfing Santas told Fox News Digital that the group has raised $62,000 from promoting T-shirts the annual occasion which was a report for the group.

The group mentioned it has raised greater than $200,000 from its 11 earlier Surfing Santas occasions for the 2 native nonprofits. 

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Surfing Santas in Cocoa Beach Florida
(WOFL-TV)

Temperatures in Florida plunged into the 30s beginning on Friday because the Christmas week bomb cyclone moved into the state and introduced chilly air with it. 

Parts of the Florida Panhandle had wind chills that dipped into the one digits on Saturday morning, and inside components of central Florida had temperatures plunging as little as 27 levels Fahrenheit (minus 2.7 Celsius levels).

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On Christmas Eve, greater than 400 surfers and paddleboarders participated within the twelfth annual Surfing Santas charity occasion in Cocoa Beach.
(NPI/Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism)

“It’s a frigid start to your #ChristmasEve across the area,” the National Weather Service in Tallahassee tweeted.

Associated Press contributed to this report