WATCH: The Story Of How The Mentawais Were First Discovered 

Imagine being the first person to stumble across the Mentawais abundance of magical surfing potential; crystal blue waves reeling of down shallow coral reef, as uninterrupted jungle stretches as far as the eye can see inland…

Among the great discoveries that have shaped our view of surfing perfection, the Mentawais must surely rank near the top of the list in terms of significance. Accordingly, we were excited to hit play this new clip from the fine folk at GoPro when we first stumbled upon it.

Far from being the cliched portrayal of surfing discovery often seen in corporate sponsored tropical surf flicks, this short film provides a nuanced look at many aspects of search and discovery missions, exploring the uncomfortable similarities to colonialism and the impact of the arrival of westerners on local people. Through thoughtful narration by Martin Daly, the film also explores how a more positive impact on local people can be ensured.

The story is interspersed with some beautiful surfing footage, featuring the likes of  Marlon Gerber, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Anthony Walsh, and Kai Lenny, resulting in the best history lesson come surf edit you’ll see this week: