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Written by hammond
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Wednesday, 03 November 2010 00:00 |
Sanya, Hainan Island, China – Surfing in China has never been a popular past-time, but with the government sponsored Wanning International Surf Festival being held this weekend on Sunday and Monday just a short drive from Sanya’s International Tourist Zone, sponsors such as O’Neil and Surfing Hainan hope to boost China’s interest in surfing along with the International surfing community’s interest in China as a surf destination.
2500 miles of coastal beaches and bays line Hainan Island’s tropical shores which attract tourists from around the world to it’s laid-back lifestyle and tropical atmosphere, with thousands of tourists flocking to the island to enjoy SCUBA diving, golf, boating; and more and more often – Surfing. Hainan boasts several other high-profile events such as the Boao Forum and the International Miss World Competition, as well as several other international athletic events including the Tour of Hainan and the FIVB Beach Volleyball tour among a long list of other events.
While Brendan Sheridan of Surfing Hainan has run the contest for the past two years as an independent event, this year he will be teaming up with O”Neill and the Chinese National Government for the first ever Wanning International Surf Festival to be held at Riyue Wan (roughly 100 miles up the East Coast of Hainan from Sanya City). With additional funding and exposure, Sheridan has beefed up the lineup card with several high-profile professional surfers, and an expanded field of both contestants and judges that will participate across four divisions including: shortboard, longboard, bodyboard, and stand up paddleboard.
Over a two day extended-weekend, sponsored professionals Holly Beck, Wingnut, Emilliano Cataldi, and Sam Bleakley will surf in the same waves as emerging local standouts such Da Hai, Darci Liu Hammond, and Tie Zhuang. Other international surfers who have been fostered into surfing in Hainan’s warm waters will also be contesting in the amateur division, and locals are expecting strong performances from Britain’s James Farquar, Julieta Hepner from Argentina, and Jose Espinoza from Venezuela.
With a steady swell approaching Hainan from the East, surfers and spectators alike are looking forward to waves in the 4-6 foot range and tailing off throughout the event. The Riyue Bay lineup features a long grinding left point-break that can peel for up to 200 meters when the conditions are good, and contest will be scored on a 0-10 rating system by a trio of judges, with the best average score across a surfer’s best two waves determining the outcome of each 4 or 6 man heat.
The event is surely to be a festive occasion with live music, DJs, games, prizes, and lots of food and drink. For the local Sanya surf community, this is also a rare opportunity to see some of world’s most talented surfers push themselves in local waves, and likewise for surfers who otherwise might not have Hainan listed in their immediate travel plans to help inspire the sport of surfing in Hainan and throughout China.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 04 November 2010 14:51 |
