Surf's up, dude!
At Nan'ao Island's Qing'ao Bay, winter waves, rising young athletes and an international cast of coaches converge as the spotlight shines on the fast-growing sport, Xing Wen discovers in Shantou, Guangdong.
During his son's closed training session for the National Games, Huang Yonghai, an early riser who often surfs at 6 am, would frequently encounter Huang Tianyu in the lineup on the waves.
Now the father, who has advanced to riding barrels, sometimes even seeks technical advice from his professionally trained children.
This is his second time visiting Nan'ao Island to support his son. Not long ago, Huang Tianyu won a championship title here at a youth surfing competition.
Comparing the surf culture in Nan'ao with that of China's most renowned surfing destinations in Hainan, such as Riyuewan Bay and Fuli Bay, the father observes that Nan'ao has undergone more substantial commercial development and attracts larger tourist crowds.
"Here, visitors can come primarily to enjoy the sea view while getting their first taste of surfing," he says.
Qing'ao Bay, one of 66 bays along Nan'ao Island's 92-kilometer coastline, features a 2.4-km beach with a gentle underwater slope that maintains shallow depths of just over one meter even dozens of meters offshore.
Noted for its consistent, long, and powerful winter waves, pleasant water temperatures and mild ultraviolet levels, the bay is increasingly attracting surfers from both China and abroad.
Konex Casano, a 29-year-old surfer from the Philippines, has joined the surf team of Zhejiang province as a coach and recently arrived at Nan'ao Island for the ongoing Games.
Hailing from Siargao Island, known as the "surfing paradise" of his home country, Casano grew up surrounded by ideal surf conditions, especially from September to November.
