Surfers were the last of this planet’s great explorers. They followed the paths forged centuries earlier by missionaries and colonisers, seeking not subjects to convert or conquer but locals to help them survive on the hedonistic hunt for new world-class waves, usually in blissfully warm tropical waters.

As a result, they were inadvertent forebearers of commercialism, encouraging villagers in remote coastal corners of developing countries to capitalise on their natural resources by building hotels and restaurants.