Six months ago Swellnet forecaster Craig Brokensha was in Bali for work, staying at the Komune resort at Keramas and surfing the surrounding waves. One day, while surfing Carparks just south of Keramas, he heard a shrill, repetitive whistle and asked the locals where it was coming from. “Is there a soccer pitch nearby?”

“No, dolphin,” they replied.

Craig immediately caught a wave to shore, climbed the foreshore dunes and saw that, despite his skepticism, the locals were indeed correct. A resort called Wake Bali Dolphin sat atop the dunes and its main attraction was a pool where four dolphins leapt from the water whenever an instructor blew a whistle. The pool measured approximately 10 metres by 20 metres. It was also chlorinated.

Upon his return to Australia Craig penned a short article called 'The dolphins of Keramas' and established an online petition via change.org. It was the first time he'd done anything of the sort. He then asked me if we'd run it on Swellnet.

I'll admit to being dubious before I published the article. Not because I didn't believe in the cause – like most surfers I watch wild dolphins with awe and the particulars of this case infuriated me – but because I'm suspicious of online activism. 'Clicktivism' is the name of this thoroughly modern phenomenon, a portmanteau word that's often used in the pejorative. Click a link and assuage your guilt. With a press of the button you've done your bit for the cause.

As a solution it seems all too simple, while the issues addressed – at least those I see paraded on social media - are often very complex. They're problems that demand more nuance than the internet's hive mind allows, more analysis than social media provides. But Craig felt strongly and he'd thought the matter through. I ran the article on Swellnet, even signed the petition, but considered the chance of success slim.

The goals that Craig had set were modest. “I was hoping for maybe 1,000 or so people to support it, generally my friends and associates plus a few more.” It took a week to reach that goal, in keeping with both of our expectations.

A week after the petition launched, with new sign ups slowing, Craig took a call from a News Corp journalist. Robyn Ironside works out of News Corp's Brisbane office, she'd seen the story on Swellnet. Her Twitter bio described her as a “mother and animal lover.”

A photo shoot was organised for sunrise at Manly Beach. The story, Robyn said, would run the coming weekend in the Daily Telegraph. Without any further information everyone assumed it'd be in the lifestyle section. While chasing swell that weekend Craig stopped in at Termeil BP and opened the paper. And there he was on page 3, next best thing to a cover shot.

“The campaign really took off after that,” says Craig. “Other media outlets around the world republished the story and the petition quickly escalated towards 100,000 signatures.”

The News Corp story took the petition far beyond Craig's social media network, a critical mass had been reached and the growth was self-sustaining. It became viral, and Craig was no longer the only person with an investment.

“An Australian but LA-based model, Natascha Elisa, was caught up in the delayed flights due to the volcanic ash over Bali. She'd already signed the petition, but having some free time thought she'd have a look at Wake Bali Dolphins resort in person. She snuck in and got some great but disturbing video and photos.”

Those photos and videos added a new dimension. It's easier to ignore words than it is graphic vision. Natascha's photos injected a healthy – or as it were, unhealthy – dose of reality and brought some urgency to the dolphin's plight.

The celebrity dominos started toppling. “Natascha messaged Adrian Grenier, star of Entourage, and he shared it on Instagram and from there it just exploded. Celebrities and models all over the world started sharing it.” The number of signatures jumped from 100,000 to 200,000 and then quickly passed 300,000. It currently sits at 356,241 signatures, somewhere amongst them is Kelly Slater's.

The initial News Corp interview ran in early July and Craig says the last three weeks have been a rush of interviews and obligations. “A lot of activists, media agents, and radio stations started contacting me." The accidental activist is in high demand. His latest duty is an appearance on television show The Project - stay tuned tonight.

In recent years there's been a push against Indonesia's illegal dolphin trade from organisations such as Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) and Dolphin Project, but Craig's petition has made others – at least 350,000 others – aware of the issue.

Acquiring abundant signatures is but one element of a successful campaign. They then have to be delivered to the right person, someone who understands the weight of combined opinion and has the agency to act upon it.

Last week the JAAN delivered the petition to Dr. Ir Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Indonesia's Minister of Environment and Forestry. Today she responded favourably:

We are taking this report seriously and currently, investigating the situation. If in fact there are violations happening in the resort that are unlawful such as abuse, neglect, or not up to the standards of the regulations, rest assured we will take action. 

Moreover, this has opened a public discourse about the existence of places with captive dolphins and other wildlife. I want to open up this dialogue to the public and the experts, and determine the best way forward, that is best for the environment, best for the animals, and best for the people. 

In several weeks we are planning to have a round table discussion about the topic of captive dolphins, and we will invite experts in education, psychology, conservation, animal protection, civil society organizations, to talk openly to try to come up with a solution.

Looking back at the campaign Craig says he was fortunate that a few things went his way. Working for a popular website helped, but reaching beyond the surfing world was vital and if not for Robyn Ironside's intervention the petition might have stalled at 1,000. Also, the visual impact shouldn't be underestimated; Natascha Elisa's photos and videos evoked more interest than Craig's passionate words ever could. And then there were the celebrities and models – god love 'em – each with a social conscience and swarm of Instagram followers, which makes them a formidable moral resource.

Watch Craig's interview on The Project