Discovering the Mentawais with Martin Daly in 4K

in the wild

Nov 16, 2017

Martin Daly is surfing's most iconic boat captain. Having discovered over 100 surf breaks, the captain of the Indies Trader is an explorer and a pioneer. Surfers all around the world have dreamed about being aboard the famed Indies Trader and catching waves with its legendary captain. Of all the surf breaks he's discovered, Martin's memory of one stands out among the rest: One Palm Point.

Throughout the early 1980's, the only known surf in Indonesia was in Bali, G-land, and Nihau. That was it. There had to be more out there, and Daly was determined to find it. He went to Singapore and bought a nautical chart of the nearby regions. Pouring over them, he felt sure there had to be waves in several places and as he would soon discover, there were. As he came upon the Mentawai Islands one morning in May of 1983, Daly could see them: waves, and it was the first time anyone had seen them here. Eagerly, Daly paddled out alone and waited for the biggest set to come through and as they did, he took off. To this day, he says it is the most courageous thing he's ever done.

Crystal clear waters broke off the reef creating impossibly long left-handed barrels, a surfer's paradise. Daly had christened the break with his first ride, but a spot so legendary still needed a name. Right in front of the line of takeoff stood a single palm tree, and so it became One Palm Point. Today, One Palm Point is one of the most famed surf breaks in the world. As the captain of the Indies Trader III, Daly is now introducing surfing's next generation of explorers to its splendor. Enter Felicity Flick Palmateer, Mikala Jones, Marlon Gerber, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Anthony Walsh and Kai Lenny for an action-packed return to One Palm Point. With Daly as their guide, the crew of surfing elite rediscover the breaks he originally staked claim.

While Daly has already been to One Palm Point and is now introducing today's surf stars to the once secret spot, he hasn't lost his desire to discover. A lot of people think with the way the world is today that everything has already been discovered and there's no point going out there, because it's already been done, said Martin Daly upon his return. But as his journey has shown, there's lots out there. You just have to go out and find it.

LINK:	https://gopro.com/news/hero6-surf-mentawais-one-palm-point-martin-daly...
	See more stories from gopro

Most recent headlines