The Relentless Enthusiasm of Parker Coffin

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Parker Coffin. Over the course of a pro surfing career that’s spanned more than two decades, he’s torn ligaments, been knocked unconscious at Kandui, and nearly lost an eye to Barbados’s nastiest reef. At 21, he was dropped by all his sponsors, putting him in a mental tailspin. When surfing for a living was the sole career road map, Parker suddenly felt like he was driving blind. 

“I had no idea what the fuck I wanted to do,” he said. “I was just at a loss. I felt like I'd been thrown through the garbage disposal. I took it personal. I love the brand, and I wanted to be a pro surfer so bad. I was kinda lost, I didn’t know if I wanted to go to school or keep surfing.”

Parker’s insights come courtesy of Chapter 11 TV’s This is Where I Am, a video series spotlighting local surfers from across the 805. Apart from highlighting his personality and motivations, this latest drop features seriously good surfing from the 30-year-old goofyfoot, who weaves through Chilean points, fin-drifts at Lowers and drives through tubes at Cloudbreak, his favorite wave on the planet. 

Part profile, part edit, it does a good job balancing Parker’s trials and successes. The throughline, from getting dropped by Volcom, signing with (then leaving) Roark, then joining Body Glove with his older brother, is that Parker is and remains a true surf nerd. From movie parts to memorable waves to board dimensions, he cares about the details and the bigger picture. He has respect for who came before, an appreciation for the present and an eye on what's next. 

The influence of Channel Islands Surfboards, whose global HQ produces boards next to his hometown, cannot be overstated. Not only has it informed his worldview on surfing, it’s also clued him into surfboard design. In collaboration with Britt Merrick, Parker has helped design at least two popular Channel Islands models: The Fishbeard and CI Pro. 

“I remember I ordered a 5’1” M4, that was my first Channel Islands,” Parker said. “As a kid, I’d be an factory and Kelly Slater would walk in. Or Tom Curren. Tim (Curran) Nathan (Curran). Dane. Bobby (Martinez). Being in that place, I was exposed to all these people. My dad and my grandpa are builders, so I have an appreciation for things being made. I’ve had so much fun trying to learn more about surfboards and why they do what they do and the appreciation for craftsmanship behind them all. Every little bit of info I’ve gotten about surfboards has come from that building.” 

All those miles on the odometer, time in the factory and sessions in the brine has given Parker plenty to be thankful for, and that's not lost on him. “I think for me, the one thing I’ve learned is that you never know what’s coming,” he said. “You never really know what can happen when. I feel like my best isn’t here yet, and that excites me. It drives me to keep getting better. Obviously, (I want) try to get as good as I can and find a way to pass it on to the next people. Your relationships and the people you're around is what matters."