Ocean City surfer Rob Kelly’s plunge into ‘ice bath surfing’

By Madison Russ

Three winters ago, professional surfer Rob Kelly set out to push his limits. Sitting in his van on icy mornings, blasting music to psych himself up, the idea of jumping into the frigid Atlantic in just swim trunks wasn’t entirely inviting.

But Kelly, a verifiable Ocean City surf legend whose long list of accolades spans well over a decade, was determined to stick with it — every single day.

Inspired by the benefits of cold plunges as a workout recovery method, Kelly realized he had the world’s largest ice bath in his backyard. He made a New Year’s resolution to do it every day that winter. His “ice bath surfing” gained attention from news outlets and his social media followers, which he said kept him accountable.

These days, jumping in comes easier.

“Going in the cold-water makes me feel good physically. It makes me feel good mentally. So, I started doing it, and it just made sense to go out and catch a wave while I’m doing it,” said Kelly, adding that he’s done it so much now the anticipatory feeling has faded.

“That’s benefitted me in real-life applications — I don’t overthink things now. If I need to get something done, I just jump in and go do it,” he said.

While surfing in frigid temps without a wetsuit was novel for the surfer, cold-water surfing is nothing new for Kelly. As a New Jersey surfer, catching great waves often means braving winter waters, especially during nor’easters that bring the best swells.

“That’s what sends us our best waves, and nine out of ten times, that comes with a lot of snow. Those are the days as a New Jersey surfer that you live for. It doesn’t happen very often, but I feel like when it does, the waves we get sort of pound for pound can match up with the best waves anywhere around the world,” he said. “If you want to be a surfer from New Jersey, you kind of have to love the cold. It goes hand in hand.”

His cold-water surf adventures have gone far beyond local beaches. Kelly’s YouTube channel, NumbSkulls, documents his surf adventures with friends chasing swells in New Jersey, New England, Canada and even as far as Ireland.

“Growing up as a surfer from New Jersey, naturally, we kind of gravitate to those sort of more obscure cold-water destinations, where a lot of times the waves are just as good as you could find in Hawaii or California,” said Kelly, noting that part of the appeal for some viewers is that it’s entirely different from the world they live in.

Over his long career, Kelly has surfed the world, but for him, his dream destinations are now far-flung, colder spots, calling it the “last frontier” for surfing.

“I think now, in this day and age, the only way you can find something like that is going somewhere so cold that surfers never even thought to look,” he said.

Though he isn’t ice bath surfing religiously this winter, this New Year, he partnered with the energy drink Red Bull ahead of the company’s launch of their new drink Red Bull Zero for the Zero Days Missed challenge.

Kelly said he will be doing something every day for the month of January — be it surfing in the snow or physical fitness routines centered around surfing.

“I hope that the content I post inspires people to find their own thing that adds some energy to their life and makes them feel alive,” said Kelly, noting that before starting a family, he had the freedom to chase waves across the globe. But finding those same thrills doesn’t have to be extreme.

“I used to think I had to chase a swell around the world, go skydiving or ride the biggest wave I possibly could.  But doing this ice bath thing, I found I could get that same sort of feeling doing something five minutes a day in my own backyard,” he said.

Kelly also recently signed sponsorship deals with New Jersey-based brand Jetty and Firewire Surfboards, which he’s excited to work with this year.

“I’m super motivated to work with them to create some content — that just added a little fuel to my fire to do what I’m doing. So for 2025, my goal is to create some really cool content with the support of my new sponsors,” he said

And, of course, going “on some crazy adventures” to see what he can find.

Even though Kelly’s adventures might take him to distant lands (or waters), being based locally and being able to raise his family in the area is a point of pride.

“Being able to make a living from surfing without having to leave New Jersey … I think that’s the thing I’m most proud about,” said Kelly.