President, Chief Surf Forecaster, and Founder of Surfline.com, Collins was the first person to accurately forecast swells on a regular basis in the ’70s and early ’80s. 

A surfer, sailor and self-taught meteorologist, he pioneered and created the first ongoing surf forecast available to the surfing public via Surfline and 976-SURF in 1985. He developed the very first live “Surfcam” in 1996, the precedent for the worldwide camera network available on Surfline.com today. 

Collins was named one of the “25 Most Influential Surfers of the Century” by Surfer Magazine in the summer of 1999 and the “8th Most Powerful Surfer in the Surf Industry” by Surfer Magazine in the summer of 2002.

The former NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Association) champion is an ASP tour veteran, boasting a top 16 finish in 1987. 

Known as “snips” during his competition days for an uncanny ability to cut through smaller surf, Parsons transformed his surfing in the late 90’s when he sought to tackle the largest behemoths on the planet. 

The San Clemente native successfully rode a 66-footer at Cortes Bank in 2001 to win the Billabong XXL and then upped the ante earlier this year by riding an estimated 80 foot wave in January.