Wave of Change: Balinese Surfer 2 (2002)

In the middle of Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation on earth, there is a tiny island where the people are almost all Hindu. The island is Bali, and the Balinese share their daily lives with legendary Hindu gods and heroes who have walked and danced on the island for a thousand years. Over the last thirty years another group of legendary figures has captured their imagination, dancing on water. 25 years ago Bill Leimbach made a documentary called Balinese Surfer, about the first foreign surfers to arrive in Bali. They left more than their boards behind. They left a legacy, which has become an industry and to some, even a fortune. That early film portrayed how the first Balinese copied these Australian and American surfers and broke through the age-old taboos that said the sea was the home of demons and evil spirits. The sequel Waves of Change, revisits those original Balinese boys to see what has happened in their lives, to their island and to the sport of surfing itself. All the original surfers have had fascinating careers and personal developments. One has become a Hindu priest, two have become surf wear millionaires, while another works for Qantas Bali Tours. Waves of Change follows the old boys as they use the glamour of the young generation of national surfing stars to bring media attention to some of the environmental issues they face today - plastic, pollution, sewerage run-off into the surf and reef bombing. The new film follows both generations as they build their Wave of Change Organisation and its first team of athletic ambassadors.