The UNC Wilmington Surfrider Foundation held its annual “Spooks ‘n’ Kooks” event on Saturday — an event in which UNCW students competed for awards while in their favorite Halloween costumes.

Awards included “Best Costume,” “Best Wave,” and “Kookiest of the Day.” Costumes spotted on the beach ranged from Jedi, ninjas, to referees for the judges who decided who took home awards.

The Seahawk spoke with event organizer Miles Abernathy and Surfrider president Alex Marstall about Spooks ‘n’ Kooks to learn more about the history of the event, as well as more about the UNCW Surfrider Foundation.

“This is the fourth annual one, so we knew we were going to do it sometime in this timeframe,” Abernathy said. “We just wanted to get everybody together and still do a beach sweep and still have some purpose — some Surfrider purpose is what I call it — behind it.

“We’re all just going to have a good, fun time, push each other in the waves, and award some trophies for ‘Kookiest of the Day.'”

The nationwide branch of Surfrider Foundation was established in 1984 with a mission to protect and enjoy the ocean, beaches and waves. UNCW’s branch of the organization was the first to be established at the collegiate level.

“I found out about the club my freshman year during the information fair,” said Marstall, now a junior at UNCW. “So I went to the first meeting and the president at the time … was extremely inspiring.”

For a visual recap of the Spooks ‘n’ Kooks event, check out the video linked above.