Surfing

Part of “Apocalypse Now” was filmed in the Philippines town of Baler. And as the story goes, when the film crew left, they left behind their surfboards, starting a new surfing culture there.

In Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Iran, these girls are breaking down traditional barriers in sports — and taking names in the process.

French filmmaker and surfer Marion Poizeau heard there were good waves in southeastern Iran. But when she finally rode them, she decided to teach Iranians how to enjoy them, too.

People were welcoming, but they were surprised, when a team of modestly dressed women surfers showed up in a remote corner of Iran. They had never seen surfing before. “Because we were only women in the water, they thought it was a sport for women,” says French director Marion Poizeau. “So the men asked us if they could also do it.”