In 1950, Michael Blakemore left Australia for London and a career in the theatre. A Personal History of the Australian Surf describes his life up to that point. It is probably the story of innumerable boys who grew up along the coast of Australia under the spell of the Pacific Ocean. The film tells of what he had to leave behind when the RMS Otranto steamed under the bridge and out of Sydney Harbour. And it also suggests perhaps why, in those days, it was necessary to go.