"Secrets Of Desert Point" follows young California surfer Bill Heick and his friends as they search for adventure sailing off the coast of Lombok Island, Indonesia in the early ‘80s.
Along the way they stumbled across the perfect wave... a pristine barreling left, reeling endlessly and empty over a shallow, live-coral reef.
As treacherous as it was beautiful, the wave was dubbed Desert Point for its dry forbidding nature.
Once discovered the pioneering crew of hardcore surfers set up a makeshift beach outpost. Their mission was to surf uncrowded Desert Point at the highest level possible... no matter the cost.
They kept their treasure off the surf-media map for most of the decade.
“No talk, no maps, no photos... we became really good liars.”—Bill Heick, Desert Point pioneer
Life on the remote point was a constant balancing act between the surfing dream and the very real possibility of injury, or death. But the call of surfing the perfect wave held strong and has kept the pioneers returning for decades.
Since its discovery more than 40 years ago Desert Point has evolved into a hardcore surf destination with surf camp accommodations and quality warung-style food.
But embedded within Bill’s story is the grassroots history of early ragtag Indonesian surf exploration of the 1970s.
More than just a surf movie, “Secrets Of Desert Point” also explores the legacy of California counterculture adventure... one spanning three generations of filmmakers beginning in late 1940s San Francisco.
The rare Indonesian surf footage was shot by Bill Heick’s father William R. Heick, a renowned ethnographic filmmaker who came out of the 1950s San Francisco bohemian arts scene.
This fragile 16mm footage, captured more than 40 years ago, has sat in obscurity until recently retrieved and restored for this documentary.
“This project was a surf filmmaker's dream production” says director Ira Opper, “It is one of the last great dirtbag adventures of the 20th century... with untold stories, never-seen exotic film imagery, and a perfect wave.”
Credits:
An Opper Sports Productions film. Producer/ Directer: Ira Opper. Edited by Julian Clark. Technical Director: Dustin Hood. Executive Producer: Bill Heick. Starring Bill Heick and William R. Heick.
