UK longboarder turned travel writer Sam Bleakley now specialises in exploring off-the-beaten-track surf destinations and recently published a rad book called SURFING TROPICAL BEATS. It features such unlikely surf destinations as China, Haiti, Algeria, Gabon, India and Vietnam. But more than just exposing remote, uncrowded lineups, what interests Bleakley are those travel destinations that are misrepresented by the press and the positive impact surfing can have on these communities.

In this new digital short, he takes the example of Liberia. With the civil war in this West African country ending now nearly over a decade ago, the nation still struggles to shake off its image as an unsafe travel destination despite boasting some of the best lefthand point breaks on the African continent.

The basic idea being that if you are going to fly half-way round the world in the frivolous name of chasing swell, it makes perfect sense to chose a destination where your presence might also have a positive impact on the local community your visiting. So we’re guessing over-crowded, over-polluted tropical paradises such as Bali or the Maldives are out?