Watch: Costumed Surfers Hang 10 for Halloween

Despite the Ghost Busters wading through the surf, that wasn’t the spirit of Pocahontas haunting the waves at Bolsa Chica State Beach on Sunday morning.

It was Seal Beach resident Nina Vafaie. Vafaie was one of 50 costumed surfers to catch waves as part of an impromptu Halloween Hang 10.

“It’s really just a bunch of friends surfing in costume,” said Vafaie, owner of East West Design.

It began about six years ago when Vafaie decided wear her Halloween costume while surfing, and it has grown each year since with an informal costume contest. This year, Vafaie and pal Teri Rodenas handed out flyers inviting surfers to show up at Sunday’s high tide in costume. Their friend Guy Leo judged the costumes with prizes such as gift baskets made by Rodenas. Prizes were awarded for categories such as Most Creative Costume, Most Waves Caught While Wearing a Costume and Best Wave.

In true laid-back surfer fashion, Leo made up new judging categories during the contest to accommodate more winners. He even ripped the tag off one trophy to create an under-12 category for the kids, said Vafaie.

“We had a lot of kids this year,” said Vafaie.

Although she has never publicized the event, it’s open to anyone and is usually the weekend before Halloween, Vafaie added

“It’s grown quite a bit over the last few years,” she said. “It’s still grassroots -- a bunch of surfing friends getting together to surf in costume and have some fun. It’s all done in fun, everyone is welcome to join in and it’s always been a fun way to kick off the Halloween week.”