Ho, ho, hang ten: Surfin' Santas catching a worldly wave

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — What once was a family gathering of surfers in Santa suits has grown into a Christmas Eve spectacle grabbing international attention.

To accommodate mushrooming interest in ho, ho, hanging ten, the Surfin' Santas plan to ride the waves off downtown Cocoa Beach, where there is more space to park cars — even sleighs.

"The whole thing started as a family day," said George Trosset, who began the holiday tradition five years ago in front of his 24th Street home. "We all came out to the beach house. Friends saw it and said, 'I want to come join you,' so the next year we had 19."

And then there were 84 Santas, then 159, then 210 surfing St. Nicks last year.

Parking became sometimes "naughty" in Trosset's residential neighborhood, even with two Brevard County Sheriff's deputies helping with traffic control.

Trosset knew to stay on the "nice" list, he would need to move his event. But he had mixed feelings.

"It was a great party here at the house," he said. "It became the big Christmas tradition."

"He needed a better venue," said Melissa Huey Byron, Cocoa Beach's director of marketing and economic development. Now the city is sponsoring the surf-in and providing police and fire services.

More than 500 surfers are expected this year, with a few jolly old elfs, naturally, landing from the sky.

Professional skydivers from the Air Sports Parachute Demonstration Team from Port St. Lucie, will parachute onto the beach around 11 a.m. from the Tico Bell, a C-47 aircraft belonging to Valiant Air Command in Titusville.

"This year, they have more than 15 sky-surfers ready to jump," Trosset said.

"It's fantastic," said Chuck Julian, a parachutist who is organizing the jump. "People really enjoy the event. We look forward to it."

The Surfin' Santas will set out on the beach at about 8 a.m., line up their surfboards and pose for photos before they hit the waves.

Proceeds from the sale of Surfin' Santas T-shirts will support the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum and Grind for Life, a Cocoa Beach organization that helps people with cancer.