06/27/2026
h i s t o r y
The Story Of Us
Donald Cresitello is a lifelong Jersey resident and one of our community’s most respected surf and outdoor action photographers.
The same “local knowledge” that guides his calculated approach to photography, is the same folk wisdom that archives Donald’s art as “essential” to our inlet cult-ure.
As his professional and recreational photography journey began in the mid 90’s, Cresitello connects current lensman to the golden age of Monmouth + Ocean county surf photographers, like Bruce Chrisner and Dick Meseroll- embossed names in the pantheon of New Jersey surf photographers.
This photograph, titled, “tubed,” is historic and symbolic. The wave, a myth in its own right. Known only to local surf circles as “U-Turns,” this specialized, technical phenomenon that is rarely seen, almost never captured, is a wave that connects “jenks” and “first peak” and connects Cresitello to the ancestry of NJ surf photographers that shaped him. This picture, a testimony to his inherited expertise, is like a respected elder. It shifts the energy in a room; it’s a stand up, look you in the eye, shake your hand type of shot that pays homage to a sacred lineage of artistic heroes. This is a illustration of mastery and a visual tradition of excellence, paired with a classic atmospheric style that categorizes this piece as
an heirloom; art that will live beyond our time and tell future generations the whole story of “us.”
Thank you Donald Cresitello for your meaningful contribution to our Celebration of Surf + Sea + NJ Photography, a gallery and silent auction featured at The Ocean Is Female (The OisF)’s “Waves of Change” fundraiser. 100% of the proceeds raised through the purchase of this print supports The OisF, the USA’s first surf therapy program designed for survivors of abuse.
