Surfing-Trailblazer Waida hoping to trigger Indonesia surfing wave

BALI, Indonesia : Bali's iconic surf breaks have nurtured generations of local talents whose dreams of going professional have invariably been dumped by the high costs of pursuing success.

But some may now push a little harder against the tide after seeing trailblazer Rio Waida on the Championship Tour of the World Surf League.

Waida became the first Indonesian and first Asia-born surfer to qualify for the peak tour last year, breaking into a club dominated by Americans, Brazilians and Australians.

As a rookie in his debut season, he made the championship's mid-year cut last month, even as American great Kelly Slater missed out and needed a wildcard from organisers to remain on the tour.

It is lofty territory for the 23-year-old, who grew up in the Balinese fishing village of Jimbaran and was once petrified of the ocean.

"It probably hasn’t changed my life much but I definitely feel more people have eyes on me," Waida told Reuters of his growing profile at home.

"So maybe there’s a bit more pressure. I feel like I have to show the good things. I can't do bad stuff.

"I hope I can inspire and motivate young kids."

With bronzed athletes competing at stunning destinations across the globe, the sport can seem a glamorous pursuit.

But it is no ticket to guaranteed riches.

Prize money is modest and most surfers grind hard to break even, relying heavily on corporate sponsors and other benefactors.

Surfers from emerging markets are particularly up against it, battling weak currencies and limited sponsorship money.

Indonesia has long profited from tourists who swarm to the archipelago's reef breaks but struggles to fund local surfers who need to develop skills abroad to make it on the global stage.

Waida has done plenty to put the sport in the