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.
Surfers with shortboards jog across the wet sand and paddle through choppy waters one after another. They read the restless waves, choose their moment, and catch a powerful one. In one fluid motion, they pop up and begin their ride, carving explosive turns, launching into technical airs, and turning the ocean's chaos into their stage.
This was the scene at Qing'ao Bay on Nan'ao Island, Shantou, in Guangdong province, from Nov 13 to 16. As the venue for the surfing competition of the 15th National Games which is co-hosted by Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao, the bay welcomed 56 surfers from 15 teams who competed on its powerful winter waves.
Among them was Huang Tianyu, a teenage shortboarder representing Shandong province. He first embraced surfing at the age of 5, inspired by his father Huang Yonghai, who operates a surf club in Hainan province.
The sun-tanned, curly-haired father, usually seen in board shorts, started surfing in 2014. He came to Qing'ao Bay to cheer on his son.
Huang Tianyu and his older sister Huang Zilan grew up playing in the waves with their father. "Initially, I wanted them to surf to build courage and connect with nature," recalls Huang Yonghai who is based near Fuli Bay in Hainan's Lingshui county.
Their childhood pastime evolved into a shared passion. The siblings progressed from longboards to more competitive shortboards. Since the Shandong surf team trained nearby, both siblings — familiar faces in the bay — were recruited, launching their professional careers.
"Surfing has transformed our parent-child relationship. In the water, we interact more like surf buddies," says the father.
