By Krystle J Bailey
In 2020, Carter Doorley set out on a mission to surf for 100 consecutive days. One small goal led to the next, and before he knew it, the Brigantine native, who turns 12 this Friday, had surfed 500 days. It’s been almost 500 more days since we last spoke to him, as this weekend marks his 1,000th day on the water.
When the world shut down in 2020, Carter took to the ocean to escape the indoors. By the time life began to return to normal, Carter was already on a mission to surf as many days in a row as possible. He enjoyed getting up every day to catch another wave. Throughout his journey, Doorley began gaining notoriety in the community and has since been sponsored by several companies, including Salty Britches, The Jetty Life, Catch Surf, and Heritage Surf Shop in Margate.
His Instagram account, Carter Catches Waves, which is managed by his parents, has grown to almost 4,000 followers as he continues to share his surfing journey while paying it forward.
Carter’s mother, Dawn, who joins him on the beach every day to record him catching waves says, “I’m just happy that he found something he loves. He barely talks about it in school or with friends. It’s just something he does for himself, and he treats every day like it’s the first one.”
With all eyes on Carter, he has been using his platform to pay it forward. In the last two years, has used his social media presence to encourage donations for the local food pantry, helped raise money for animal shelters, started a skateboard collection in support of a local skatepark, and more.
This Saturday, as he approaches his 1,000th day of surfing, Carter tells us that the hardest part of the journey has been the bitter cold winter mornings.
However, no matter the weather, Carter continues to show up simply because he enjoys it. He looks forward to reaching the three-year mark and looks forward to whatever comes next. For now, he’s just catching one wave at a time with a smile on his face.
“I think I am a much better surfer than when I started,” shared Carter Doorley. “Every day I try to do better than I did the day before.
Carter is now part of the South Jersey Boardriders and Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) All-Stars.
Keep up with Carter’s journey @CarterCatchesWaves on Instagram.
Krystle J Bailey. Multimedia journalist, Author, Poet.
Connect with Krystle on Instagram @thedailybailey5
