When Ishita Malaviya began surfing at the age of 18 she was the only female in the water. She had just moved to a small south west coastal town called Manipal, from the big city of Mumbai, to study journalism in 2007, when a chance encounter with a German exchange student saw her lay her eyes on a surfboard for the first time. Back then surf shops didn't exist and the idea of a woman going anywhere near one was taboo. Local people, who believe fair skin equates to beauty, were also not used to seeing a young woman get tanned and mocked Malaviya for her colour. ‘A lot of my friends and professors would say "Ishita you have become so dark, so black, you look like charcoal". ‘I said "are you serious? You think I’m ugly?" That was a little disturbing,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. Scroll down for video . Ishita Malaviya began surfing seven years ago and had never touched a real surfboard before then . The 25-year-old now runs her own surfshop and is sponsored by international surf brand Roxy . Fast forward seven years, and Malaviya is posing for photoshoots and sponsored by huge international surf brand Roxy. She also runs her own surf shop with her architect boyfriend, after they both ditched promising professional careers to pursue their passion for the sport. This Friday, India’s first female surfer will make more waves as a documentary film about her gender boundary-breaking achievements, filmed by award winning cinematographer Dave Homcy, screens at  Byron Bay Surf Festival, in NSW. In the movie Malaviya travels with an international group of female surfers including Byron Bay resident Lauren Hill, American director Crystal Thornburg-Homcy, conservationist Liz Clark, humanitarian Emi Koch, and yoga teacher Kate Baldwin. The women approached Malaviya to travel with them through Southern India as they documented the ways in which surfing, as well as yoga and ecological creativity, are helping the local people. An international group of female surfers, including Australia's Lauren Hill, American director Crystal Thornburg-Homcy, conservationist Liz Clark, humanitarian Emi Koch, and yoga teacher Kate Baldwin, came to India to meet Malaviya . 'Naturally people are apprehensive about women getting in the water,’ Malaviya says in the documentary . India's first female surfer will make more waves as a documentary film about her gender boundary-breaking achievements screens at Byron Bay Surf Festival . Hill, who splits her time between her childhood home in Florida and the world-class point breaks of Byron Bay, told Daily Mail Australia the film is 'the story of five women travelling to India and meeting up with India's first recognised female surfer'. 'We are basically going and looking for surf while also volunteering at various orphanages and schools where we share surfing with young kids.' ‘The ocean has always been a place for the men, they go fish at sea and the women stay at home and it’s never been a place for them so naturally people are apprehensive about women getting in the water,’ Malaviya says as the documentary opens. Malaviya still clearly remembers the first time she defied social norms and got in the water. ‘It was really awesome. I hadn’t had that much fun in a really long time, I felt like a kid again. I remember smiling a lot and thinking “yay I am going to do this for the rest of my life”.' Malaviya left Mumbai to go to university by the coast and relished the chance to be out of the 'crowded and polluted' city and on the 'clean and empty beaches' In the documentary Beyond The Surface the saturated hues of India set the scene . The film touches on youth and women's empowerment and personal growth . 'When girls hit puberty families restrict them as they don't want them in the water with other boys,' Malaviya explained . The 25-year-old relished the chance to be out of the ‘crowded and polluted’ city of Mumbai and on the ‘clean and empty beaches’. But that doesn’t mean she found surfing easy to begin with. ‘I sucked, I was really weak because honestly in India our school didn’t promote sports, it was mainly academic… I would get beat up black and blue. The guys were much stronger with their upper body, ‘ she said. She also faced worried questions from her friends and family about what she was doing with her life . ‘First of all our parents didn’t understand the lifestyle. They were like “you tried it once, why did you do it again?”.’ Malaviya began getting up early every morning to surf and she and her boyfriend Tushar Pathiyan sold most of their possessions to buy the German student’s surfboard once he left India. ‘When we started it was completely unheard of in the country, even if you Googled surfing it wouldn’t show up,’ Malaviya explained. India's first female surfer has been supported by the male surfing community in India, who ask her to surf in local contests . Yoga teacher Kate Baldwin first stepped onto a surfboard on a yoga vacation to Hawaii . The film was co-directed by American Dave Homcy, who moved to Hawaii, following his passion for surf cinematography and photography . Lauren Hill will be at the Byron Bay Surf Festival when Beyond The Surface is shown this weekend . The more she suffered, the darker her skin got. Malaviya began having to face comments about the way she looked and her role as woman as well as her career choice. ‘In India dark skin is looked down upon. People think fair skin is beauty. A lot of women have tried surfing and enjoy it but one of the biggest reasons they don’t do it again is because they don’t want to get dark,’ Malaviya said. ‘Also, when girls hit puberty families restrict them as they don’t want them in the water with other boys.’ However, as time has gone on Malaviya has seen a change. Just recently she met a mother in the water and now a handful of women are surfing regularly. She has also been supported by the male surfing community in India, who ask her to surf in local contests. On top of that, she has been inspired to continue her mission to get more women in the water after travelling with the group of international female surfers for the film. ‘I just loved how bold and fearless they are, and I like that they are much more free spirited. They just have that energy, it’s really positive.’ Director Crystal Thornburg-Homcy Born was born and raised surfing in Hawaii. Her dad used to push her into waves at Waikiki and by elementary school her mum was taking her to the beach to surf after school . Malaviya began getting up early every morning to surf despite it being unheard of for a woman in India . She and her boyfriend Tushar Pathiyan sold most of their possessions to buy the German student's surfboard once he left India . Surfer Lauren Hill, who splits her time between her childhood home in Florida and the world-class point breaks of Byron Bay, told Daily Mail Australia the film is 'the story of five women travelling to India and meeting up with India's first recognised female surfer' In this photo Crystal Thornburg-Homcy watches as her co-director films a local man by the ocean . Malaviya may have now won her battle for a place in the water but this week she is faced with a new problem – obtaining a visa in time to make it to Australia for the Byron Bay Film Festival where her story will be shown to a captive ocean-loving audience. ‘I’ve heard about this stuff [Australian surfing] for so long it would be so nice to be there. ‘When you are in India and you start surfing, when there is no surfing, the only way you can be inspired is to watch it online and learn. ‘The best surfers are in Australia – they are the ones we looked up to, they've got the vibe and surf culture there too.’ The film Beyond The Surface and the charity Beyond The Surface International, whose mission is to use surfing as a tool to help homeless and orphaned children, will feature at Byron Bay Surf Festival from October 24 -26. 'Emi Koch's idea is that surfing is an incredible tool for bringing joy, enviromental values and community develeopment in areas where those areas are desperatly needed,' Hill said . Director Dave Homcy is an expert in surf films and has previously worked on Sliding Liberia, Shelter, A Broke Down Melody, Surfwise, Come Hell Or High Water, and the TV shows Lost and Hawaii 5-0 . India's beautiful and vibrant culture is captured in Beyond The Surface .
Ishita Malaviya, 25, began surfing seven years ago - before any other Indian woman .
She grew up in the city of Mumbai but moved to a coastal village to go to university .
A chance encounter with a German exchange student saw her discover surfing .
In India she said people are afraid of the ocean and women don't want their skin to get dark .
She is now sponsored by Roxy surfwear and runs her own surfshop in India with her boyfriend .
An international group of female surfers, including Byron Bay resident Lauren Hill, came to India to meet her .
They made a documentary called Beyond The Surface to support a charity that uses surfing as a tool to help homeless and orphaned children .
When Ishita Malaviya began surfing at the age of 18 she was the only female in the water. She had just moved to a small south west coastal town called Manipal, from the big city of Mumbai, to study journalism in 2007, when a chance encounter with a German exchange student saw her lay her eyes on a surfboard for the first time. Back then surf shops didn't exist and the idea of a woman going anywhere near one was taboo. Local people, who believe fair skin equates to beauty, were also not used to seeing a young woman get tanned and mocked Malaviya for her colour. ‘A lot of my friends and professors would say "Ishita you have become so dark, so black, you look like charcoal". ‘I said "are you serious? You think I’m ugly?" That was a little disturbing,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. Scroll down for video . Ishita Malaviya began surfing seven years ago and had never touched a real surfboard before then . The 25-year-old now runs her own surfshop and is sponsored by international surf brand Roxy . Fast forward seven years, and Malaviya is posing for photoshoots and sponsored by huge international surf brand Roxy. She also runs her own surf shop with her architect boyfriend, after they both ditched promising professional careers to pursue their passion for the sport. This Friday, India’s first female surfer will make more waves as a documentary film about her gender boundary-breaking achievements, filmed by award winning cinematographer Dave Homcy, screens at Byron Bay Surf Festival, in NSW. In the movie Malaviya travels with an international group of female surfers including Byron Bay resident Lauren Hill, American director Crystal Thornburg-Homcy, conservationist Liz Clark, humanitarian Emi Koch, and yoga teacher Kate Baldwin. The women approached Malaviya to travel with them through Southern India as they documented the ways in which surfing, as well as yoga and ecological creativity, are helping the local people. An international group of female surfers, including Australia's Lauren Hill, American director Crystal Thornburg-Homcy, conservationist Liz Clark, humanitarian Emi Koch, and yoga teacher Kate Baldwin, came to India to meet Malaviya . 'Naturally people are apprehensive about women getting in the water,’ Malaviya says in the documentary . India's first female surfer will make more waves as a documentary film about her gender boundary-breaking achievements screens at Byron Bay Surf Festival . Hill, who splits her time between her childhood home in Florida and the world-class point breaks of Byron Bay, told Daily Mail Australia the film is 'the story of five women travelling to India and meeting up with India's first recognised female surfer'. 'We are basically going and looking for surf while also volunteering at various orphanages and schools where we share surfing with young kids.' ‘The ocean has always been a place for the men, they go fish at sea and the women stay at home and it’s never been a place for them so naturally people are apprehensive about women getting in the water,’ Malaviya says as the documentary opens. Malaviya still clearly remembers the first time she defied social norms and got in the water. ‘It was really awesome. I hadn’t had that much fun in a really long time, I felt like a kid again. I remember smiling a lot and thinking “yay I am going to do this for the rest of my life”.' Malaviya left Mumbai to go to university by the coast and relished the chance to be out of the 'crowded and polluted' city and on the 'clean and empty beaches' In the documentary Beyond The Surface the saturated hues of India set the scene . The film touches on youth and women's empowerment and personal growth . 'When girls hit puberty families restrict them as they don't want them in the water with other boys,' Malaviya explained . The 25-year-old relished the chance to be out of the ‘crowded and polluted’ city of Mumbai and on the ‘clean and empty beaches’. But that doesn’t mean she found surfing easy to begin with. ‘I sucked, I was really weak because honestly in India our school didn’t promote sports, it was mainly academic… I would get beat up black and blue. The guys were much stronger with their upper body, ‘ she said. She also faced worried questions from her friends and family about what she was doing with her life . ‘First of all our parents didn’t understand the lifestyle. They were like “you tried it once, why did you do it again?”.’ Malaviya began getting up early every morning to surf and she and her boyfriend Tushar Pathiyan sold most of their possessions to buy the German student’s surfboard once he left India. ‘When we started it was completely unheard of in the country, even if you Googled surfing it wouldn’t show up,’ Malaviya explained. India's first female surfer has been supported by the male surfing community in India, who ask her to surf in local contests . Yoga teacher Kate Baldwin first stepped onto a surfboard on a yoga vacation to Hawaii . The film was co-directed by American Dave Homcy, who moved to Hawaii, following his passion for surf cinematography and photography . Lauren Hill will be at the Byron Bay Surf Festival when Beyond The Surface is shown this weekend . The more she suffered, the darker her skin got. Malaviya began having to face comments about the way she looked and her role as woman as well as her career choice. ‘In India dark skin is looked down upon. People think fair skin is beauty. A lot of women have tried surfing and enjoy it but one of the biggest reasons they don’t do it again is because they don’t want to get dark,’ Malaviya said. ‘Also, when girls hit puberty families restrict them as they don’t want them in the water with other boys.’ However, as time has gone on Malaviya has seen a change. Just recently she met a mother in the water and now a handful of women are surfing regularly. She has also been supported by the male surfing community in India, who ask her to surf in local contests. On top of that, she has been inspired to continue her mission to get more women in the water after travelling with the group of international female surfers for the film. ‘I just loved how bold and fearless they are, and I like that they are much more free spirited. They just have that energy, it’s really positive.’ Director Crystal Thornburg-Homcy Born was born and raised surfing in Hawaii. Her dad used to push her into waves at Waikiki and by elementary school her mum was taking her to the beach to surf after school . Malaviya began getting up early every morning to surf despite it being unheard of for a woman in India . She and her boyfriend Tushar Pathiyan sold most of their possessions to buy the German student's surfboard once he left India . Surfer Lauren Hill, who splits her time between her childhood home in Florida and the world-class point breaks of Byron Bay, told Daily Mail Australia the film is 'the story of five women travelling to India and meeting up with India's first recognised female surfer' In this photo Crystal Thornburg-Homcy watches as her co-director films a local man by the ocean . Malaviya may have now won her battle for a place in the water but this week she is faced with a new problem – obtaining a visa in time to make it to Australia for the Byron Bay Film Festival where her story will be shown to a captive ocean-loving audience. ‘I’ve heard about this stuff [Australian surfing] for so long it would be so nice to be there. ‘When you are in India and you start surfing, when there is no surfing, the only way you can be inspired is to watch it online and learn. ‘The best surfers are in Australia – they are the ones we looked up to, they've got the vibe and surf culture there too.’ The film Beyond The Surface and the charity Beyond The Surface International, whose mission is to use surfing as a tool to help homeless and orphaned children, will feature at Byron Bay Surf Festival from October 24 -26. 'Emi Koch's idea is that surfing is an incredible tool for bringing joy, enviromental values and community develeopment in areas where those areas are desperatly needed,' Hill said . Director Dave Homcy is an expert in surf films and has previously worked on Sliding Liberia, Shelter, A Broke Down Melody, Surfwise, Come Hell Or High Water, and the TV shows Lost and Hawaii 5-0 . India's beautiful and vibrant culture is captured in Beyond The Surface .
called Manipal, from the big city of Mumbai, to with a German exchange student saw her lay her . Ishita Malaviya began surfing seven years ago then . The 25-year-old now runs her own surfshop and is sponsored by international surf brand Roxy female surfers including Byron Bay resident local people. An international group of female surfers, including Australia's Lauren Hill, and yoga teacher Kate Baldwin, came to India to meet Malaviya . 'Naturally people are Malaviya left Mumbai to go to university by the they don’t want to get dark,’ Malaviya said. India . She and her boyfriend Tushar Pathiyan is to use surfing as a tool to help homeless and in Beyond The Surface .