Surfing for a Cause in Laguna Niguel

Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niquel’s Second Annual Surfing Santa Competition benefits children with autism.

Grab your Santa hat and wax up your surfboard for the Second Annual Surfing Santa contest at Salt Creek. Part of the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel’s Community Footprints program, this event calls on surfers to join together (in full Santa regalia) and raise money for Surfers Healing and children with Autism.

Former competitive surfer Israel Paskowitz and his wife Danielle founded Surfer’s Healing after their son was diagnosed with autism at age three. They discovered the ocean was one place where he seemed at peace and decided to give others living with autism the same opportunity and experience of therapy through surfing.

Under the Ritz-Carlton’s Community Footprints program, this contest and their annual holiday surfboard auction have raised more than $57,000 over three years.  This year’s surf event gives watermen and women another chance to surf for a cause and compete for a $1000 prize in the “Flying Rudolph Big Air” category with additional prizes for varying age groups. The winner of the body boarding heat will walk away with $500 as well.

The cost to enter is $40 per person, which includes the contest and a surf swag bag. The event runs Saturday, November 19 at 8am.

So get in the holiday spirit of giving and carve some turns off Dana Point to help kids with autism.

For more information visit www.surfingsantacontest.org or www.ritzcarlton.com for accommodations.