VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — While most people were gathered around the Thanksgiving table, a few braved chilly winds and crashing waves at Virginia Beach’s Rudee Inlet, finding gratitude in the ocean, not the oven.

Logan Gay, a local surfer who has called the area home for years, was one of them. His holiday plans didn’t involve turkey or crowds.

“I just wanted to get out. I figured there wouldn't be a whole lot of people out today,” Gay shared.

For Logan, surfing on Thanksgiving is almost a spiritual experience.

“I feel like I'm more connected to God and nature, and it's peaceful. It’s like just playing as an adult, pretty much.”

Not everyone on the beach was there for solitude. Professional surfer Parker Johnson saw Thanksgiving as the perfect opportunity to train harder, while most peopl

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