Video: The Album Surfboards Team Takes On Hawaii

Originally posted on SURFER | By August Howell | Last updated Jun 5, 2024 10:00 AM ET

Matt Parker began shaping out of a garage in 2001. Twenty-three years later, the man behind Album Surfboards has a team consisting of two Championship Tour alumni and several of the most scintillating freesurfers alive.

This past winter, the Album team’s trip to Oahu included Victor Bernardo, McKenzie Bowden, Brenden Margieson, Jack Freestone, and Clay Marzo. These days, when you click on a brand’s team video or professional surfer’s vlog from Hawaii, Pipeline is the epicenter of the film nine out of 10 times. But in “Hues,” Pipeline (and Backdoor) is not the sole focus, rather slipped in like well-worn sandals. Instead, this team rips apart other playful (but still powerful) points and reefs on the North Shore and beyond.

While all the aforementioned surfers are great in their own right, there’s something about Bernardo’s style that’s hard to deny. Polished, powerful and capable of unexpected flair, he is the clear standout in the clip. The 27-year-old Brazilian from Guarujá in Sao Paolo has come a long way since his days hopping around the WSL’s Qualifying Series. As recently as 2021, he competed in two Challenger Series events. Now backed by Album’s quiver, Bernardo is well-positioned as one of the foremost freesurfers in the game.

Speaking of quivers, trips like this are also a great excuse for Parker to pump out a variety of singles, keels, quads, twins and asyms for the riders to devour. Hawaii isn’t the first place you’d consider taking “alternative” boards for R&D, but the Album team made it look easy.

While “Hues” could refer to Oahu’s tropical color pallet, it could also refer to the wide-ranging shades covering the boards. Edited by Ian Grose, “Hues” is a further testament to Album’s star power and the rare ability to make the North Shore look approachable for the everyman.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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