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Special Events
Florida surfing interests aren’t limited to traditional riding of the waves only…there are a number of surf-related events and activities to enjoy around Florida!
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The National Kidney Foundation of Florida sponsors a surfing festival yearly during Labor Day weekend, the weekend including the first Monday in September. Two professionals who are twin brothers initiated the idea of the surfing festival – Richard and Phil Salick. Richard Salick had to undergo multiple kidney transplants, attributed to recurring kidney disease. Coconuts on the Beach, in Cocoa Beach, Florida is the location for the National Kidney Foundation’s surf festival. Demonstrations of surfing, bikini contests, and musical guests are only a part of the surf-related fun for everyone. With the first festival held in 1985, it is the biggest surfing event for charity.
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The Orlando Surf Expo is a bi-annual event dealing with the marketplace for all sorts of board sports and youth lifestyle retailing. Vendors for the Surf Expo aren’t just from Florida – they span the entire United States, Canada, and even the ripe surfing region of the Carribean. Sales and networking within the surfing industry, as well as a trade show, is plentiful here. Even an industry party is held during the expo, and sales seminars are offered. This surfing show has been a long-standing event – since 1976.
The National Scholastic Surfing Association introduced the O’Neill Surfing Magazine Airshow Series through its ranks, and has become quite popular in Florida, with its three NSSA divisions. The aerial surfing competition is for students, from a 10 and under bracket to a 16 and up bracket, including college students. Locations in Florida for this surfing competition have included Sebastian Inlet, Pelican Beach, and New Smyrna Beach Inlet. Since 2000, NSSA has fully embraced aerial surfing.
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The early 1990’s brought forth a WaveMasters tradition each New Year called the “Polar Plunge.” Jacksonville Beach, Florida is the setting for this event, which has two categories of competition for surfers and non-surfers alike. For the non-surfers, the task is to run out into the ocean, go completely underwater, and return to land. Surfers need to stand and ride one wave, then return to land. An extra twist is that swimsuits are the only apparel allowed (don’t try to use a wetsuit!). Of course, Jacksonville’s weather can vary greatly on this day, so one never quite knows what to expect.
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