The pandemic is prompting more people to try the sport—it has forced many Chinese who would normally have holidayed overseas to stay put and instead visit places like Hainan
Ms Liu is now a surf instructor in Houhai Bay, on the island’s southern coast. Small tattoos, including one of a seashell, adorn her muscular arms . Yet surfing has changed her “inside and out”, she says. She is not alone in seeking out its benefits. Most of her clients are women, many of whom are prepared to go against the tide—by plunging into it.
Hainan’s palm-lined beaches and balmy winters have long been a draw for domestic tourists. But even a decade ago it had few surfing enthusiasts. When an American expatriate organised a surfing contest there in 2008, just two of the 30-odd participants were Chinese. Today Riyue Bay, north of Houhai, is home to the national surfing team’s academy, set up after the International Olympic Committee accepted surfing as an Olympic sport in 2016.
There was a time when cars loaded with boards would be pulled over by police, and surfers lectured about the dangers of their pastime. Now official approval is prompting more people to try the sport. So is the pandemic. It has forced many Chinese who would normally have holidayed overseas to stay put. Between January and May, Hainan received 11% more visitors than in the same period in 2019.
On a recent weekday in Houhai Bay, dozens of bikini-clad novices, their faces streaked with colourful sunscreen, wobbled on boards in knee-deep water. Many come for just one session, hiring coaches who double as photographers for social-media-worthy snaps. But dedicated surfers are swelling in number, too. All “love nature and the spirit of freedom,” says Ms Liu, the ex-dietician. Darci Liu , China’s first professional female surfer, runs retreats for women who want to enjoy the sport.
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