Surfers dressed as Santa Claus gather in Florida
Santas headed out to the surf on Tuesday during the fourth annual "surfing Santas" event in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Organizer George Trosset said he may move the holiday event to downtown Cocoa Beach next year to accommodate growing crowds. (AP Photo/Florida Today, Malcolm Denemark) NO SALES
Shaylona Kirk, of Cocoa Beach, left, peeked at the camera during a photo shoot of over 210 surfers dressed as Santa Claus, elves and snowmen at the fourth annual "surfing Santas" event in Cocoa Beach, Fla. on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Florida Today, Malcolm Denemark)
George Trosset Jr., dressed as a snowman, left, and his dad, event organizer George Trosset, high fived each other out in the waves during the fourth annual "surfing Santas" event in Cocoa Beach, Fla. on Tuesday. Organizer George Trosset said he may move the holiday event to downtown Cocoa Beach next year to accommodate growing crowds. (AP Photo/Florida Today, Malcolm Denemark)
COCOA BEACH, Fla. » More than 210 surfers dressed as Santa Claus, elves and snowmen were surfing the Christmas Eve waves off central Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Florida Today reports that when Cocoa Beach Mayor Dave Netterstrom took in the view from the sand Tuesday, he declared the fourth-annual gathering "the largest surfing Santa event on the planet."
Organizer George Trosset says he may move the holiday event to downtown Cocoa Beach next year to accommodate growing crowds. He started the tradition in 2009 with a few family members after seeing a television commercial featuring people surfing in Santa Claus attire.
More friends joined them the following year, and in 2012, nearly 160 surfers participated. Trosset says the event "has gone from being a little family party to being a community event."
