Last November, an annual night surfing contest that usually draws large crowds to the Jacksonville Beach Pier was held in a quiet location (Hanna Park) on a gusty rainy night with lights on the beach and an illuminated shrimp boat. just passed the circuit breakers. Due to the pandemic, the contestants and judges were pretty much the only ones huddled in the dark.

This year, the Red Bull Night Riders event returns to Jacksonville Beach, where for a decade fans have gathered to watch half a dozen surfers being towed into the waves by jet skis, then launch out with their boards in complicated and daring aerial stunts.

The November 6 event will be open to the public, organizers said, and it’s free.

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Jacksonville Beach’s Cody Thompson won the competition at Hanna Park last year, his third time as champion. He will compete again this year, this time against professional surfers Bronson Meydi, Ian Crane, Robbie McCormick, Evan Geiselman and Parker Coffin.

Each surfer will have 15 minutes to try to achieve their best aerial move for the judges and spectators, the watercraft towing giving them the speed they need to tackle the high-flying maneuver. The winner receives $ 5,000.