Ready. Set. Glide.
Ready. Set. Glide.
“The OisF’s East Coast Cold Water Challenge”
In Support of The OisF Gliders - Women’s Surf Collective
On March 21st, local, legendary members of our surf community will polar plunge to raise funds to support our surf therapy programming and purchase winter surfing gear for The OisF Gliders - Women’s Surf Collective.
Participants, cherry-picked from a vast community of treasured local watermen and women, were requested to participate in the “The OisF’s East Coast Cold Water Challenge”, not just for their earned status in the lineup at their home break, but more importantly, for their capacity to represent the spirit of our local surf community. The roster of challengers include gifted long-boarder, author and champion of The OisF’s mission, James Contreras, AND internationally respected, pro-skater and locally beloved charger, Caroline Duerr - to name just a couple of the storied contenders.
“It is inspiring and truly remarkable to witness the ways in which our community continues to rally for The OisF and our community of survivors. As we approach our 6th year in operation, this focused fundraising initiative comes at a cool moment (pun intended) for The Ocean is Female,” Alli Scaduto, founder of The OisF, explained.
“We are in the process of reshaping and expanding our women’s survivor program. After thoughtfully evaluating our work, we recognized that surfing is the most powerful point of connection and growth for the women we serve, which inspired our program’s new name, The OisF Gliders - Women’s Surf Collective.”
Alli continued, “We feel this new name reflects the strength and grace of the survivors in our community and it represents our renewed focus on maximizing time in the water year-round. Coincidentally, as all of these shifts are occurring within The OisF’s programming, New Jersey is simultaneously thawing out from one of the iciest winters in recent history, with water temperatures currently hovering around 36 degrees. All of this means one thing - in order to expand our program and keep women in the water beyond summer months, we need support and solid winter gear that will last.”
Local shredder, ESA Allstar AND Junior National team competitor for USA Surfing, Keira Soleau shares her stoke for participating in “The OisF’s East Coast Cold Water Challenge,” as she is no stranger to New Jersey’s frigid winter conditions. “I saw my dad surfing winter swells when I was really little and I didn’t know why I wasn’t allowed to surf, too. It looked fun. I was finally allowed to when I was maybe 9 or 10, and I didn’t love it. It’s freezing. The water can be in the 30’s! I’m always cold, so the winter surf is an extra challenge for me. The gloves and boots and thick wetsuit can be super annoying to put on. But I’m grateful that they keep me warm and I can get practice in with no crowds. That’s the best part about winter surf in NJ, nobody is out unless they really love surfing. So less crowds and we get some really big fun swells.”
Soleau, a star student, standout athlete, decorated surfer and tenured OisF Rider, is fired up to get cold if it means helping other women gain access to the joy of surfing. “I’m excited to do the cold water plunge with my friend Makena Taylor, who I met through surfing. We have an ESA surf contest that day, so we will plunge after surfing and hopefully we will be celebrating from the contest.”
Keira’s fiercely competitive nature is matched by her compassionate, kind heart. “ I hope I can raise at least $500 or maybe even more. I feel good about doing my part to help this awesome project that gives women and girls a safe place to feel empowered. I love getting more girls into surfing. I hope the women who participate in The OisF’s surf therapy program can feel safe and strong within our beach community. I know it feels great to ride a wave and I love that I can help other women experience that by raising money for winter gear for The OisF Gliders - Women’s Surf Collective.”
During the month of March, The OisF East Coast Cold Water Challengers will be announced and participants will share information about how to donate through their personal social media channels. This plunge will be performed individually and shared virtually at a body of water/plunge site of the challenger’s choosing on March 21, 2026 (Inclement Conditions Date: March 22, 2026).
We invite our community to follow along as we announce and celebrate The OisF East Coast Cold Water Challenge participants. You can support your favorite challenger and get them closer to WINNING the “THE OISF EAST COAST COLD WATER CHALLENGE” TITLE and PRIZE by sending a VENMO donation to @theoisf. Please be sure to add GLIDERS and the participating challenger’s name in the memo section. 100% of the proceeds will be used to support The OisF Gliders - Women’s Surf Collective.
Thank you for your willingness to #GETONBOARD and #BEARIPPLE!
