When you think of surfing in China – if you think of surfing in China at all – you may think of Hainan Island. It’s tropical, there’s a handful of waves ranging from lumpy pointbreaks to punchy beachies, and it’s hosted major ’QS and ISA contests in the past.
But beyond Hainan, China has been largely untapped surf-wise. Sure, they’ve got a wavepool in the works, and they’re training an Olympic surf team, but there must be other surf-rich zones on that 9,000-mile coastline, right? Of course there are – and all it took was an Italian expat to discover the goods.
Hainan Island. Photo: Nik Zanella
Nik Zanella knows more about surfing in China than most Chinese people. He’s been living and surfing in China for years, he was a former coach of China’s National Surf Team, and he even wrote a book about the origins of Chinese surfing (turns out the practice dates back to the year 1000 AD, when “wave treaders” would ride the river bore of China’s Hangzhou delta; print copy available here, and e-book here.)
EXPLORE: China Surf Spot Map and Reports
And Nik gave us a glimpse and some insights into a few of his favorite waves — on Hainan Island and way, way beyond.
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