A staple in Flagler County’s fall event calendar and a community favorite for more than two decades, the Tommy Tant Surf Classic returns this weekend.
Set for Oct. 23 through 25, this year will mark the 24th edition of the event — one of special significance to organizer Will Tant and his family.
"This will be a special year because it's the 24th year, and my brother was 24 when he passed away, and my friends and I had this goal to have the event for 24 years to honor each year of my brother's life,” Tant said in a recent phone interview with The News-Journal.
The event is named after Tommy Tant, a beloved surfer in the Flagler Beach community who died of an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm in 1998.
More than a three-day surfing contest, “The Tommy” is also an opportunity to “surround yourself with longtime friends,” share in the surfing fun, and to remember and honor loved ones, both present and gone, Tant said.
The event has drawn more than 200 participants and spectators to the waves near the Flagler Beach pier over the past few years, and Tant expects to see similar numbers this year.
What can you expect for the 24th Tommy Tant Surf Classic in 2026?
The hundreds of competitors are divided into several age divisions, with both pro and amateur level participants welcome to register.
Starting Oct. 23, the first pro division rounds begin, with possibly a few amateur rounds, too. The first day of the event also includes a kickoff party at Craeft Surf Studio (Tant’s remodeled surf shop and workshop studio at 404 S. Ocean Shore Blvd.). It will feature drinks, snacks, and both a live and silent auction.
Most of the amateur division rounds will continue Oct. 24, along with the second and third rounds of the pro divisions. The day will also feature a special exhibition from some of the pro surfers, who will be towed through the waves with jet skis to help launch them high in the air as they perform tricks for the crowd.
“And then the hope is that all the final rounds will be the remaining rounds for Sunday (Oct. 25),” Tant said.
The idea is for contestants of all ages to be out surfing at the same time.
“You can have a 4-year-old catching a wave next to a 70-year-old,” Tant said. “So we try to create a contest that brings everyone to the beach and provides a space for everyone to compete. We think that really represents the nature of surfing.”
Memorial paddle-out honors Tant’s brother, lost loved ones
Around noon on Sunday, the event pauses for a ceremonial moment of tribute to Tant’s brother, and provides an opportunity for contestants and spectators to remember loved ones who have passed away.
“For ‘Tommy,’ this year, and I think it's true of most years, it's a tradition to come home,” Tant said. “And that just creates those really anchoring moments when you can look around and spend time with the people who have really impacted your life and continue to impact your life."
Contestants paddle out past the waves and join hands to form a circle in the water, “and that just represents the bond, the deep bonds that are created in the surf community," Tant said.
“It’s a way to celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us and the lives of the people sitting next to you,” he said, adding that the moment is also a chance to reflect on the “sacredness of being able to look over at the person who is alive next to you and take that in and appreciate, as best you can, life with them.”
Tommy Tant Surf Classic hopes to help local surfers’ endeavors
With contest entry fees, local sponsorships and raffles, the event has raised more than $200,000 over the years, which organizers use to award scholarships and grants to local students.
Since last year, Tant said he and his team have “reenvisioned how we use the money that we raise,” focusing on how they could focus on the needs of the local surfing community.
“We decided to take the lion’s share of the money we raised and support the top surfers coming out of Flagler Beach,” Tant said.
Four of those surfers each received $5,000 as part of a mentorship program meant to help them advance in their careers.
Tant and his team also gave away approximately $4,000 in scholarships to other local students last year, “and we plan to do the same this year.”
For information, visit craeftsurfstudio.com/the-tommy/#.
— Brenno Carillo is a local government reporter covering Flagler County, including Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, for The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Surfers, community invited for special Tommy Tant Surf Classic 2026