Covens of aquatic witches take to the sea for annual paddleboarding

We love spooky season.

Witches in Oregon and California's central coast flocked to the water for annual charity paddleboarding events.

Donning their hats and swapping out broomsticks for oars, coastal witches and warlocks gathered for a "ghoulish morning on the water" on Saturday, according to one event site.

The event has been going on for six years in Morro Bay, California, but its timing was kept secret until 2019.


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Annette Ausseresses, one of the first witch paddlers, told local news station KSBY that she and her coven originally started the event to celebrate Halloween.

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"Since then, we've seen the idea really take off and now there are Witches and Warlock Paddles happening from coast to coast," she said. "So, we decided to add a donation component and make it public this year."

The event benefitted the San Luis Obispo County Food Bank.

A central coast photographer snapped these incredible photos of the Morro Bay witches standing on water.

In Oregon, witches descended upon the Willamette River in Portland for a six-mile journey. Participants donated packages of underwear, socks, and shirts to Our House of Portland, a nonprofit that provides services to patients with HIV. Oregon Live reports that several hundred people showed up.

And in Brightwaters, New York, witches paddled down the canal before the town's annual pumpkin run.

There's something so threatening and comforting about seeing a coven of witches furiously paddling toward you. Tis the season!

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