Gallagher, Dinofa represent Ocean City, small town with big surf history
ASBURY PARK — Ocean City surfers Mia Gallagher and Cruz Dinofa won their respective divisions during the Sea.Hear.Now Festival on Sept. 19-20 in Asbury Park.
The festival included two days of live music along with the North Beach Rumble surfing contest among East Coast legends and emerging pros.
Gallagher, 20, is a 2023 graduate of Ocean City High School who already has earned a bachelor’s degree in business and accounting from University of North Carolina Wilmington.
She said she is still trying to figure out “where it takes me in the future,” while continuing her professional surfing career.
A member of the Ocean City Beach Patrol, the island resident has been surfing since 2014 and competitively since 2017, having made the Junior Olympic Team through USA Surfing from age 16 to 18, when she aged out.
The North Beach Rumble is a prestigious invitational contest that draws some of the best surfers around. Other contestants were Ocean City’s Rob Kelly, as well as Sam Hammer, Cassidy McClain, Cam Richards, Balaram Stack, Pat Schmidt, Mike Gleason, Tommy Ihnken, Logan Kamen, Jamie DeWitt, Cole Deveney, Audrey Iglay, Paul Francisco and Eden Edwards.
“It’s always a really fun event, but also pretty prestigious to win,” Gallagher said, noting there is “a lot of money on the line.”
She said since it’s by invitation only, “it’s an honor to be invited back each year.” It was her fourth time competing during the 8th annual event (excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Gallagher said the waves were running about 3 feet — “definitely not picture-perfect, but it’s surfing so you never know what you’re going to get” — with a northeast wind the first day and southeast wind the second day. “The weather held off for the weekend.”
She said the atmosphere is amazing, unlike surfing anywhere else.
“The main stage at the concert is lined up horizontally facing north, so the ocean is to the right. You can watch the surf contest while artists are playing and it’s on the big screen next to the stage,” she said.
Gallagher said about 35,000 people attend the concerts, “the most people I’ve ever surfed in front of,” and that fans are cheering on the beach.
Since contestants surf during the day, “you get the rest of the night to watch all the bands and stuff, so it’s super cool,” she said.
Gallagher said her surfing idols include Carissa Moore, a Hawaiian who was the first-ever winner of the Olympic gold medal in women’s shortboard surfing at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also is a five-time world champion, winning in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2021 on the World Surf League Women’s World Tour.
Gallagher also is a big fan of McClain, who coached her when she was younger, and was pleased to beat her in this contest.
“It’s nice to compete against her,” she said, noting “all the guys, they all rip. It pushes you to be better, which is the coolest part about it.”
Gallagher said she has known Dinofa for years.
“It’s so funny that me and Cruz both won the same day, nice to have young kids in the contest take it down,” she said.
Asked if she thought it odd that two surfers from a small southern New Jersey town won the contest, she said Ocean City has a special place in the history of surfing.
“It’s recognized as a strong surf community worldwide,” she said. “Anywhere we go out to surf, you’re going to see someone you know. It’s a tight family and Ocean City is special in that way.”
Gallagher said she plans to take her winnings from the contest to go visit her sister Brynn, also a champion surfer and member of the OCBP, who is studying abroad in Australia this year.
Gallagher believes Dinofa has a strong future ahead in surfing.
“He has gotten so good it’s crazy. He is going to be big a name,” she said.
Dinofa has attended the Ocean City school system but is being home-schooled this year to travel and surf. He plans to head to Hawaii for three months to stay with a friend and surf Pipeline — “it’s powerful with great barrels” — and Rocky Point.
The 17-year-old started surfing at 3 years old.
“My dad was pushing my older sister in and I thought it looked fun and never stopped after that,” he said.
Dinofa was part of the OCHS team in 2024 and 2025, when he won state championships individually. This past summer, he worked at 7th Street Surf Shop providing lessons.
He said his surfing goals are to “try to get better every day and maybe do it as a profession and influence a young generation.”
Dinofa said the contest was “one of the best experiences.”
“It was so cool surfing and hearing music playing, and when you’re done you just watch the bands — it was sick,” he said, noting it was his first time there.
Dinofa said some of the best East Coast surfers were there and he loved winning.
“I was super stoked. My goal was to go big and have fun and I feel like I did that and I was super happy. It was fun,” he said.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
