Festive Waves & Future Boards: Surf's Up Holidays
The surf community never rests, not even during the holidays! From Florida's red-suited wave-riders to SoCal nostalgia and Santa Cruz's eco-innovation, here's what's making waves this season. Let's dive in!
First up, Cocoa Beach delivered pure stoke on Christmas Eve. Over 10,000 spectators packed the shore to cheer on hundreds of Surfing Santas decked out in everything from traditional red suits to alien costumes. Even a parrot named Spike joined the festivities! Photographer Malcolm Denemark captured infectious smiles, as the event announcer quipped, 'Look at this crowd. Everyone’s smiling … you don’t see this at football games and baseball games.' Since 2009, this beloved tradition has raised over $100,000 for the Florida Surf Museum and Grind for Life, proving surf culture's heart is as big as the ocean. You can see the full gallery right here.
Meanwhile, down in Southern California, surfing legend Corky Carroll stirred up some warm memories. He shared tales of his first surfboard on Christmas Day 1957 - an 8'7" balsawood pintail that weighed more than he did! Corky recalled paddling out in trunks and paraffin wax (no wetsuits back then), catching a small wave that ended his 'college career' then and there. He also reminisced about competing on Hawaii's North Shore in 1971. These stories remind us why surfers keep chasing that perfect wave year after year. Peek at Corky's memories over at the Orange County Register.
And in Santa Cruz, a quiet revolution is reshaping surfboards' environmental footprint. When Patricio Guerrero's board snapped in a cave five years ago, he noticed the piles of non-recyclable plastic waste from repairs. This sparked Swellcycle, a company now 3D-printing boards from renewable materials. Traditional surfboards waste tons of foam during shaping and can't be recycled, but Swellcycle's process eliminates that waste. 'I started talking to my buddies and we realized this was an industry-wide problem,' Guerrero said. Their Artboards even allow custom designs printed directly onto the board. It's a fresh approach to keeping our oceans clean while keeping us stoked. Dive deeper into their mission here.