In 1999, a New Zealand doctor named Dave Jenkins went on a surf trip to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. This in no way made him special. The Mentawais are still something of a haven for surfers — clusters of epic warm-water waves are packed into a small area that most surfers, including Jenkins, access by way of luxury charter. But in 1999, the Mentawais served as the latest Shangri-La of surf travel.

But even if the Mentawais were a popular destination, almost no surfers left their boats and went ashore on their trips. Jenkins did, and what he saw profoundly altered the course of his life and the lives of the people he encountered.
What he saw forced Jenkins, once a wealthy medical professional, to ditch his life and found a nonprofit called SurfAid International. SurfAid, whose U.S. offices are in Encinitas, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.