This latest flick courtesy of Patagonia, follows 12-year-old Othandwayo as she discovers surfing, the ocean and a sense of belonging in the water.
Growing up in Imizamo Yethu, a township overlooking Hout Bay, South Africa, Othandwayo was never far from the ocean. But it wasn’t until she discovered surfing that she began to see it differently. For her, the ocean became more than something to look at. It became something to learn from.
Othandwayo found her way into surfing through Sentinel Ocean Alliance, a Hout Bay-based NGO using the ocean to create opportunities for young people in South Africa’s coastal communities. Through surfing, education and other ocean-based programmes, the organisation gives children a safe space to connect with the water while building confidence, wellbeing and a deeper understanding of the marine environment.
“Before I went to Ocean School, the ocean was just an ordinary thing for me,” said Othandwayo. “Once I got into the ocean, that’s when I realised it held so much more.”
The organisation was founded in 2018 by South African surfer Frank Solomon, with the aim of giving the next generation the same opportunity he had growing up: the chance to fall in love with the ocean.
“I never could have imagined that it would become what it is today,” Frank said. “I’m so proud of the team and everyone who has helped us get to this point.”
Seven years on, Sentinel Ocean Alliance has grown to a team of 25 coaches and staff, working with hundreds of children every week. At its heart, ‘Bamb’amaza – Lessons from the Water’ is a film about what surfing can give you beyond the obvious. Not just the waves, but the lessons that come with them. The people you meet. The places they take you. And the realisation that sometimes the best way forward is to stop fighting the current and learn how to move with it.
