Will rebel Surfing Santas arise?
It is now the first day of October and the commencement of the holiday season crackles on the ever cooling (or warming for our Australian brothers and sisters) air. The unmistakable scent of Laird Superfoods Pumpkin Spice non-dairy coffee creamer wafting. Peace and goodwill on the House floor of the U.S. Congress. Surfing Santas dusting off those iconic red costumes, getting ready to paddle out on Christmas Day.
Yes, the yearly tradition in Cocoa Beach, Florida brings much joy to all. As many as 800 Santas now surf for a crowd that has swelled to over 10,000 underneath the all-seeing eye of the town’s Kelly Slater statue.
A perfect marriage of whimsy and pride.
Alas, though, heartbreaking news has just rippled through the entire Space Coast as Surfing Santas event is set to move away from the bronze and beautiful Slater, three miles up the beach to some strip of god-forsaken nothing.
In a stunning announcement, organizers attempted to soft-pedal the tragedy, declaring:
We have EXCITING NEWS! Surfing Santas 2023 will be in a NEW LOCATION! We’ll be surfing and celebrating right down the road at Shepard Park, Cocoa Beach… where 520 meets the ocean. This is a really great change for us for so many reasons, but here are just a few:
-More beachfront and nearby parking… goodbye, stressful traffic jams!
-Less overall congestion than downtown as attendees can arrive directly from north, south and west, and guests in the nearby beachside hotels can walk to the venue.
-Easier access set up for staging and closer media and staff parking and access. (Our amazing volunteers will jump for joy at this one.)
-Actual handicap parking and easy access to the beach.
-Opportunity and room for the possibility of coffee/food trucks to participate.
-A brick and mortar bathroom at the park + more room for portalets than downtown Cocoa Beach.
– Onsite power and water.
-Public gazebos where families or friends can hang out or picnic after the event.
-It is one block from the Florida Surf Museum, which actually hosts the event — this will provide the opportunity for more people to actually visit the museum!
-Lots of local restaurants to serve our Surfing Santas family. (Our friends at Long Doggers are close by and open for lunch!)
-It is still Cocoa Beach! Home sweet home.
We are so stoked for Christmas Eve morning at Shepard Park, and we look forward to this year being our best one yet. See you there!
Can it ever really be Christmas without the Kelly Slater statue? No amount to brick and mortar bathrooms can make up for this.
No word, yet, if purists might stage a rebel Surfing Santas event at the site of its original home.
Here’s hoping for a Christmas miracle.
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Rotten crotch, ball sniffing bitch Chaz Smith is at it again using KS name for views. Almost as bad as Cocoa Beach moving Surfing Santa’s do they can rip off the money used for charity
Was a sick move out of turn 2. That’s his third win at Dega.
Here’s a crazy stat:
All of Blaney’s Dega victories have come in photo finishes by a combined margin of victory of 0.026.
Shepard Park is not a “random” park! They host the other surf competitions there and there is another statue of Kelly Slater right there at Ron Jons. Not sure who is really actually disappointed about the move. Not me or any of my surfer friends care where it is at. We just want to dress up like Santa
Pretty sure anyone with a half functioning brain actually doesn’t give two ducks where it is, that statue looks like melted dog shit anyway.
Thank goodness it might be worth going! You could barely WALK the people were so congested between buildings. This is so much better!
Mercury Seven
Hell yeah! And half the remaining field wrecking as they cross the start/finish line! Was a great day of racing.
Well this was to be expected once he lost his spot on the tour and is just another old x pro.
Anyhow, shark attack in south Australia today. Just sharing for you Chas
https://amp.9news.com.au/ar…
chas, so the Santa” Coca (yes coke) Cola” Claus , at Cocao Beach , everyone’s high on herr Claus down at Cokeca beach ….is the shepherd park a pun on you shepherding everyone to buy..a book about cocaine and surfing??
Kook
Yes!
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That statue needs less Santa, more tin foil.
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https://media1.giphy.com/me…
Too bad they didn’t go a little further south to Canova Beach Park, more commonly known as Bend Ova Park, that’s really DR’s place, the gay cruising beach.
If I was Kelly I would’ve had that hideous monstrosity of a statue ‘disappeared’ looong ago.
Hideous
Monstrosity
Some surfer that fellah winning 11 world titles surfing backwards. You are right though mate that appalling statue, looks like a surfing alien.
(Joe Satriani had entered the chat)
Indeed ha yeah I knew I’d heard that expression somewhere down the line. Joe made some great surf pump at the time. Flying in a Blue Dream was a belting album, with Ride an outstanding contribution to rock history in particular.
Why is he surfing backwards? That for real? I wanna read the BG comments on the article from when that first was “unveiled”.
He didn’t approve of it
A brave choice by the sculptor to have Kelly surfing the board backwards.
It’s the Karate chop tail slide!
Easy with no fins…
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ate it! RIP Duane.
more appropro is Kelly getting a free hand out of pumpkins in Lemoore…
https://www.uncovercolorado…
Almost as bad as the Cardiff Kook statue.
Here’s a Christmas miracle…upend the “Cardiff Kook” statue and move it to a dirt parking lot in Cucamonga.
I actually get a few chuckles as to what they dress him up in sometimes, pretty creative sometimes.
How about an “the Inertia” tee—with all their writers names on it, very fitting I would think.
Does Georgia have any good surf?
yes. she’s always on my mind…