Alejandro Joudieh, 21, lost his best friend Patrick in an accident when he was 13. He now travels the world creating surf content and has presented his documentary at the Canarias Surf Film Festival.
Alejandro Joudieh was 15 when he received a call that changed everything. His best friend, Patrick, 13, had been hit by a car in Tenerife. Although he arrived in time to say goodbye, the young man transformed his grief into a promise: to fulfil the dream they shared of travelling the world surfing.
Three years later, Joudieh has travelled to Indonesia, amassed over a million likes on TikTok, and presented his documentary at the Canarias Surf Film Festival, held on June 27 in La Laguna.
From tragedy to motivation
The accident occurred while Joudieh was travelling in Mallorca with another friend. Patrick had decided not to go at the last minute. "I was one of the first to find out, a friend’s sister called me very nervously," he recalls. "We took a flight back to say goodbye to him."
The first months were "horrible," he recounts. But one night, in the midst of an anxiety attack, he heard Patrick's voice: "Don't give up, do it for both of us, fulfil this dream." That phrase drove him to finish his studies and save for months to buy a ticket to Indonesia.
"No one supported me, along the way I lost many friendships and was practically alone, but little by little brands started contacting me."
Joudieh claims that the support from brands and his followers has allowed him to start living from what was once just an aspiration. On Instagram, he has over 13,000 followers, and on TikTok, his surf videos have millions of views.
Indonesia, the dream destination
Indonesia is known for its perfect bodyboarding waves, and there Joudieh documented every step. "There you surf the typical wave seen in all the videos," he explains. His journey, always with Patrick in mind, has led him to create content that moves thousands of people.
On June 27, the young man presented his documentary at the Canarias Surf Film Festival in La Laguna. There he shared his story with an audience that, according to him, "left with something kept inside."
For the residents of Tenerife, Joudieh's story is an example of overcoming adversity. "I want people to know that, even if you lose someone, you can turn that pain into something beautiful," he states. The young man plans to continue travelling and creating content, always with the promise of not giving up.
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