Surfing in Hainan takes a bit of patience, dedication, and luck to score decent waves, and this past summer’s disappointing swells have equated to very little in the way of Hainan surf.  But if the past week’s surf is any indication of what the next few months of surfing in Hainan will be like, local surfers from Sanya to Haikou will be in for a great winter surf season.  With the passing of Typhoon Jangmi to the Northeast and approach of Tropical Storm Mekkhala currently hovering to the south of Hainan along with a small tropical depression, surfing Hainan for the next few months should put a collective smile on the surf community that has otherwise been starved for surf for nearly three months.

Summer’s swells on Hainan usually come from the South, as typhoons that brew to the East of the Philippians usually drift directly West towards Vietnam; exposing Sanya’s southern beaches to head-high surf.  This year’s summer typhoon offering, however, passed without delivering any solid swells, and one typhoon after another hooked north towards Hong Kong without making the usual jump over the Philippians and leaving Sanya surf in at waist high on the biggest days.

As for winter in Sanya, surf tends to come from Northwest, and while this may require a short drive through backwater dirt roads and fishing villages, the fruits of these labors often produce substantial surf; much of which is only recently discovered. And while local surfers in Hainan may not be forthcoming as to the location of these sacred surf spots, a little intuition combined with a roadmap and a hired driver can put even the visiting surfer into excellent waves.

“I’ve been surfing here for a few years now,” quoted TJ- a local Sanya Surfer, “Each time I go out I’m not really sure what to expect, but we’ve narrowed down a few spots that consistently produce waves that would be considered good surf even in places like Australia and California.”

For new surfers in the Hainan area, surf conditions, maps, and advice on where to rent surfboards in Hainan are available at www.SanyaSurf.com.  While the rest of the Hainan’s residents brace themselves for heavy winds and rain, for those who ride the surf, Hainan is just starting to wake up from a long summer’s lull.

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China's mainland surfing community may have missed out on this summer's typhoon season, but with Typhoon Hagupit looming off the North coast of the Philippians and headed South of Hong Kong, surfers in China are waxing up their boards and preparing for a few days of solid surfing.

As all surfers know, typhoon swells bring waves and waves bring surfers out from their hiding places among the rest of society to embrace the oncoming surf with a zest and fortitude that makes some think of them as a crazy lot.  While others are boarding up their windows and bringing their laundry, surfers in China are pulling out their big wave boards and planning how to get to the often inaccessible surf spots.

While summer is often the prime season for surfing in Hong Kong and Hainan Island, this past season has not produced nearly as many surfable days as 2007's epic surf season.  But with summer all but a fading memory, winter's East coast facing beaches are poised to take on the ensuing swell from Hagupit... and local surfers are ready.

"Yeah, this summer's been a bummer," claims local surfer Matt Hammond - operator of SanyaSurf.com: a website dedicated to surfing in Hainan, "usually we get a couple decent typhoons passing to the South of us during the summer, but this year they've all passed East of the Philippians."

They say you can plan a picnic but not predict the weather, well for surfers in China, this Tuesday through Friday should bring consistent surf with waves reaching heights of up to 3.5 meters in some locations.  For those who know how to find the best spots, it could be a magical week and a great early kickoff to the winter season.

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