Matt Rohrer shares some of the highlights of his conversations with Bay Area surfer Jimmy Holt, focal point of one of the few surfing photos to ever appear in National Geographic Magazine. Selected photos: Jim Shaw

Mark Sankey and Alexa Poppe uncover the isolation and challenges of the Mentawai Islands, and consider the challenge of balancing tourism and sustainability, in an environmentally sensitive surfing destination.

Using locally sourced timber and having designed a manufacturing process that minimises waste, Mike LaVecchia of Grain Surfboards has cornered the market in beautiful, sustainable wooden boards. And the best bit? They ride like a dream. Photos: Nick LaVecchia

When the ‘Apocalypse Now’ film crew packed up and left the Philippine coastal town of Baler, they left one important item behind – a surfboard. More than 30 years on and this quiet backwater is home to a stoked crew of welcoming locals. Words: Mark Sankey Photos: Alexa Poppe

The Mentawais have given a lot to surfers; now it's time to give something back. Kate and Luke Gerson celebrate the beauty of these islands and highlight the continued need for aid following the recent earthquake.

The alaia has become something of a shining star in recent years. Mark Sankey shares a photo essay of Cornish alaia riders. Photos: Lionel Duffau, taken at Crantock and Bundoran.


Illegal dynamite fishing in the Mentawais

January 29, 2013 | Words By:

A friend, who runs a very well regarded resort in the Mentawai Islands wrote to me. For over one month now, the playgrounds area has had at least three boats every day bombing our reefs. When the weather is good, they can do over five cycles of bombing and collecting the dead fish in a day.

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No more fish…

July 29, 2010 | Words By:

End of the Line It’s late on a Tuesday evening. There’s nothing else on. I glance through the EPG and settle on More4 where a chance encounter with a documentary film changes my dinner decisions forever…

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