Hang 8 Dog Surfing Debuts in Daytona Beach

The Hang 8 Dog Surfing Extravaganza made its Volusia County debut on Sunday, after four years operating in Flagler Beach. The event took place on the beach behind the Hard Rock Hotel, drawing a sizable crowd to take in one of the area’s most unique annual festivities. Like every year, Hang 8 is centered around dogs who’ve taken a liking to surfing just as humans do. It was founded by Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley alongside former Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston. This year, Hang 8 was hosted by Daytona Dog Beach Inc. in partnership with Volusia County Animal Services, according to the Volusia County government. In addition to the spectacle of surfing dogs, Hang 8 also brought an array of local vendors, entertainment, and activities to Daytona Beach. Many of those were local animal adoption and wellness organizations, who use the yearly event as an opportunity to raise awareness and resources for their causes. As in previous years, the dog surfing competitions were broken down into several categories: large dogs, medium dogs, small dogs, and tandem surfers where the owners join their dogs on the board. Organizers distributed awards for the top three in each division plus an honorable mention. “Hosting the Hang 8 Dog Surfing Extravaganza in Volusia County for the first time was incredibly exciting, and the community response made it even more special,” said Volusia County Animal Services Director Angela Miedema. “We are deeply grateful to Daytona Dog Beach Inc., the Hang 8 Dog Surfing team, the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach, our vendors, volunteers, participants, and everyone in the community who came out to show their support. Seeing so many people come together to celebrate animals while supporting an important cause made this inaugural event a tremendous success, and we’re already looking forward to bringing it back next year.”