By Krystle J. Bailey
What began as a 100-day goal has expanded well beyond 10-year-old Carter’s wildest dreams. This past Sunday marked 567 consecutive days of surfing for the Brigantine local. Carter Doorley fell in love with the art of surfing at five years old, though it remained a hobby until 2020 when the pandemic left him with limited entertainment options. Since then, Doorley has become a local celebrity, chronicling his surfing adventure on his Instagram page, Carter Catches Waves.
With the world shut down and nowhere to go, Carter took to the ocean for a safe energy outlet. One day of surfing led to the next and Carter put himself to the test. He made a bet that he could surf for 100 days straight. Now nearing 600 consecutive days, Carter has gained notoriety locally, as well as in the surfing community.
Rain or shine, Carter’s commitment to surfing never wavers. His father, a Brigantine beach patrol lieutenant, is committed to maintaining Carter’s safety throughout his surfing journey. Each day, Mr. Doorley evaluates the weather, currents, and waves to select the safest time for Carter to hit the water.
As his audience grew and people began paying attention, Carter made the decision to use his platform to give back to his community. Last year, after learning that the Funny Farm was in need of supplies for the animals, he called on his fans for support, raising over $200 for the local animal rescue.
This December marks Carter’s second year of collecting donations for the local food pantry in Brigantine. Spending his weekends hosting pop-up collection tables and the power of his social media, Carter has raised over 500 pieces of food and several hundred dollars for the local food pantry so far this year.
This year, Carter partnered with Little Water Distillery’s Bar Crawl, placing food donation boxes at three boxes at Little Water Distillery, Bourre, and Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall. Additional boxes can be found at Primal Surf in Brigantine and Tony’s Baltimore Grill.
Each day brings a new surfing adventure for young Carter Doorley. He is now chasing his next goal of 1,000 consecutive surfing days.
Keep up with Carter on Instagram at Carter Catches Waves.
Krystle J Bailey. Multimedia journalist, Author, Poet.
Connect with Krystle on Instagram @thedailybailey5
