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ALEKPARKER.COM EPISODE 2 (REFRACTIONS)

Alek Parker — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:16:30 +0000

This is the 2nd episode in my video series I will be posting on my site throughout the year… As I have mentioned in previous posts, Carmen Vicari and I have been working on a new project. Between trips at my home in Central Florida, we were lucky enough to catch a very rare and I think as one of the most unique swells that we get in Florida. We call them Refraction Swells. Cold fronts sweep across Florida from west to east during the winter months. Generally we get a overnight temperature drop of around 30 to 40 degrees and very strong winds out of the North West. Where I live in Central Florida this translates into a very cold, very windy, flat ocean as the wind is pushing any and all swell away from the coast and out to sea. This video depicts, that if you know what to look for on the right conditions you just might be able to score some fun surf just as all hope is lost.

ESPN Posted this episode as one of their feature videos a bit ago.

CALIFORNIA FRONT

Alek Parker — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:46:20 +0000

Last week took Carmen Vicari and I to California to catch one of the many Kick Ass swells from one of the many cold fronts California has endured this winter… This was the second trip for my latest video project documenting the Winter Cold Fronts. My goal was to fly out and capture how Timmy Reyes forecasts these storms and goes to all lengths to catch the best surf during the winter at home. To say the least, we got exactly what we were looking for and more. The surf was better then we could ask for, Timmy was as fired up as I thought he would be and the footage of the mission to find surf was right on point with what we were looking for. Here are a few screen shots form a photo feature that Surfline.com posted of the swell… If each trip is as good as the first two, this documentary could turn out better then I pictured it. Stay tuned for more updates as the project unfolds…

NEW VIDEO PROJECT!!!

Alek Parker — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:04:45 +0000

I am currently down in Puerto Rico shooting for a new project I am working on with Carmen Vicari… I’ve had this idea for a while now, but it took some time for everything to line up and start the production… In a nutshell, my goal is to make a video web series documenting the life of a cold front as it brings harsh weather and epic surf from West to East across the country and Caribbean… Pacific to the Atlantic and down to the Caribbean, we want to give a very indepth look at these weather systems and the local surfers of the locations that these storms effect the most… With the giant swells that have been rocking the coast of California and Baja to the snow covered barrels of the Northeast and down to the beautifuly pristine Northwest swells of the Caribbean, this project will be as action-packed as it is interesting…

I’m very excited that everything is coming together, and I am able to start shooting… Carmen is a very talented videographer and as this trip continues I have learned that we work very well together and are equally excited for the outcome of the finished product… We have a long road ahead of us, but with every trip planned to be more diverse than the next, we shouldn’t have any dull moments…

This trip down here to Puerto Rico has been better then we could have asked for… With Brian Toth getting one of the biggest barrels of his life at home to the talent of Gabe Kling, Asher Nolan, and Peter Mendia scoring one of the best swells of the year, we are psyched on the quality of footage we have been so fortunate to collect…

Not sure when we are returning to Florida due to another swell forecasted here for the weekend, but nonetheless, we are anxious and excited to continue on to the next leg of our journey…

I will be posting project updates and behind-the-scenes videos up here on my blog throughout the next few months, so keep checking back for a quick glance into our adventures!!!

Here are a few selects from the feature on Surfline from this past weekend, here in Puerto Rico…

Click this link for all the pics from the photo feature on SURFLINE.COM

FIRST RISING SUN SHRED SESH VIDEO!!!

Alek Parker — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:03:22 +0000

New T. Patterson board (5′3″ Rising Sun), first session… Got my box of boards shipped to Florida from California, grabbed the one I wanted to ride the most, threw some paint on it and a swell came in the next day… Timmy Patterson told me I had to use the MR Twin fin set up with this board. From what I experienced this board is the fastest, most versatile, 5′3″ I have ever surf board ridden on… I figured it would be good for smaller waves, but when I was able to test it out on some fun over head Florida ground swell, it over achieved every expectation I had for for it…

Sean Benik, a senior in high school here in Melbourne Florida, has been shooting local videos of local shredders lately. He just so happened to not have school on Monday. I was able to get together with him to shoot the first session on this board. This is the edit he put together from that day. For more videos from Sean Benik, click here to check out his Vimeo site…

I’m bringing it with down to P.R. this week so I can’t wait to see how it shreds in some real waves… For this and all of Timmy Patterson’s amazing surfboard designs, go to tpattersonsurfboards.com

Alek and The Setting Sun from Sean Benik on Vimeo.

NEW BOARDS!!!

Alek Parker — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:43:21 +0000

After experimenting with different styles of surfing crafts these past couple months, my first 5 board quiver from Timmy Patterson in 2010 came out as the most diverse group of boards I have got in one order… Every board is extremely different and equally amazing… I’m probably the most excited I have ever been when it comes to getting new boards… As I ride each board I’m working on putting together some video clips of each different board… I have a trip to P.R. this week, so I should have some clips of these new boards to post… Keep checking back for new video posts on my new shred sticks!!!

HIGH SEAS BAHAMIAN ADVENTURE

Alek Parker — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:45:06 +0000

The Bahamas are one of my favorite places in the world. Surf+Fishing+Warm sunshine = Exactly where I want to be… So when Mikey DeTemple asked if I would go on a trip to a remote island in the South Bahamas to shoot for his new movie, I jumped at the opportunity… Nick LaVecchia Came along to shoot photos for Surfers Journal. Nick is a big part in a extremely kickass website called GetInTheVan.com, They have tons of great content of Northeast surfers shredding all over the world. Our bahamas trip is a multiple part photo feature on the website documenting each day of our trip. Below I took a few screen shots off their site to share on here, but please continue on to their site to see the full feature titled Bahamian Jewel…

MIKEY D’s MINI SIMMONS

Alek Parker — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:20:41 +0000

Mikey DeTemple had this board shaped after watching our friend Tin shred on his door like surfboard… Tin’s board was a bit bigger so Mikey scaled it down a notch and made it 5′1″… I, personally, had some faith in the strange shape and outline after trying a wave or two on Tin’s a while back… This is our first try on the board as we are taking turns behind the video camera…

Bottom line… This board made this oh so average, small day in Florida a blast… And that’s what its all about, right???

MIKEY D’s MINI SIMMONS from ALEK PARKER on Vimeo.

MY BOOTIE ON O’NEILL HOME PAGE

Alek Parker — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:52:55 +0000

Just sniffin around oneill.com and came across some familiar looking Booties on the home page… This was shot when I was down in Tasmania for O’neill CWC contest last year. BTW, BEST BOOTIES AND WETSUITS IN THE WORLD!!!

NORTH TO IDA (part 2)

Alek Parker — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:19:42 +0000

PART 2… My goal is to put out as many episodes as I can this year so keep checking back because I don’t even know when they will be popping up… Please comment and let me know what you think… Making these videos are all about trying to get better and better with each one so criticism is welcome… BE NICE!!!

NORTH TO IDA (part 2) from ALEK PARKER on Vimeo.

NORTH TO IDA (part 1)

Alek Parker — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:04:47 +0000

NORTH TO IDA is the first episode in a series of videos I will be posting throughout 2010. I like to think that these episodes are a little different than what people are used to seeing when it comes to online surf media… I was trying for the video to have the feeling that even if you don’t surf you will see my journey and purpose as I set out to surf the waves from this extremely late Tropical system in November of 2009.

NORTH TO IDA (part 1) from ALEK PARKER on Vimeo.