The Amazon: Documentary Series by Skateboarder Magazine

The Amazon: Documentary Series Premiere Episode

Photographer Jonathan Mehring travels to the Brazilian Amazon with skaters Jack Sabback, Jake Johnson, Clint Peterson, Raymond Molinar, Adelmo Juninho and Kenny Anderson for 3 weeks of skateboarding and jungle adventures. Filmmaker Josh Stewart captures the entire trip.

The Amazon: Episode 2 "Belem"

The Amazon crew arrives at the first stop of their adventure, the city at the mouth of the Amazon river, Belem, Brazil.
After getting settled on their first day Kenny Anderson, Jake Johnson, Ray Molinar, Clint Peterson, Adelmo Jr, Jack Sabback, Joey Pepper and photographer Jonathan Mehring get acquainted with the local weather conditions, local customs and local skatespots.
Shot and edited by Josh Stewart

Amazon: Episode 3 "Barefoot in the Jungle"

After fighting the non-stop rain, the crew decides to follow the adage "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" and gives a shot at swimming in a hidden lagoon in the jungle outside of Belem.
With streets too wet to skate they move on to prepare for their 4 day trip up the Amazon river, picking out the hammocks they'll be stuck in the next 3 nights of the trip and assessing the progress of the photo article thus far.
Shot and edited by Josh Stewart

Amazon: Episode 4 "Slow Boat to Santarem"

In this episode, the crew boards a sketchy 3 story boat bound on an 800 mile journey up the Amazon river to the city of Santarem.
The Amazon crew has to learn the hard way that if you don't show up early for an Amazon boat trip, you get stuck sleeping in a hammock with your head 6 inches from the toilets. We travel some 400 miles in this episode and witness some of the wilds of Amazonian life and hope that the skaters make it to their destination alive.
Shot and edited by Josh Stewart

Amazon: Episode 5 "Boat Legs"

After 4 days of sitting on a boat traveling 800 miles up the Amazon river, the crew finally hits land in Santarem. The boat arrives with one less person than when it left, as we learn that an American passenger committed suicide off the boat the night before.
Once they finally arrive the skaters realize they only have 36 hours in the small city so they get busy and get as much skating in as possible before their flight to the final city of Manaus.
Shot and edited by Josh Stewart

Amazon: Episode 6 "Manaus"

After hopping on a red-eye flight from Santarem, Joey Pepper, Jake Johnson, Kenny Anderson, Adelmo Jr, Jack Sabback, Clint Peterson, Raymond Molinar, Jonathan Mehring and Vitor Sagaz arrive in the bustling Amazonian city of Manaus.
By far the strongest skate city of the trip, the crew wastes no time getting busy on the plethora of spots spread around the rugged streets. After a few days of skating and dodging the rain, local skaters take the guys to some secret waterfalls outside of town, but they end up possibly going to jail instead of for a swim.
Shot and edited by Josh Stewart

Amazon: Episode 7 "The Jungle"

After two weeks skating and boating along and on the Brazilian Amazon river, the Skateboarder crew finally gets to launch an expedition into the jungle itself.
A few days into their arrival in Manaus they board a small boat named the "Jesus Christ" along with a few other foreign travelers bound for 2 days of jungle, river and tribal adventure. Piranha, monkeys, sloths, alligators, poisonous plants and deadly mosquitoes are all encountered on this awe-inspiring leg of the crew's Amazon experience.

Amazon: Episode 8 "Ayahuasca"

The Skateboarder crew emerge from their jungle tour to discover a soccer field and they quickly slip into a heated game of gringo football. The next morning they find themselves presented with the terrifying prospect of swimming with creepy pink monsters of the Amazonian deep and then wrap up their jungle adventures with a midnight tribal performance in which the entire group ingests the ritualistic psychadellic potion known as Ayahuasca. See what becomes of our psychonauts on this bizarre twist to their Amazon experience.

Amazon: Episode 9 "River's End"

On the last day of their 3 week Amazon adventure, the Skateboarder Magazine crew musters up their energy for one final session before their flights back home. With the little strength they have left, the gaggle of Americans and a few locals shred the streets and eventually hit an amazing natural spot in the middle of a random basketball court in what turns into the best session of the tour.
Thank you to Jonathan Mehring for making this trip happen and to Converse shoes and Skateboarder Magazine for their support. This adventure also wouldn't have been possible without the incredible hospitality of the Belem and Manaus skate crews who looked after us like family. Thank you so much to everyone involved and to you for watching.
Shot and edited by Josh Stewart