Pumping up Sanya's travel industry

Dadonghai, a beach break on a busy tourist strip of sand that boasts one of the world's most salubrious restaurant and bar-lined boardwalks, catches summer south swells, according to Surfing Hainan shop owner Brendan Sheridan.

"It rarely gets good," he concedes. "But local surfers still surf it whenever there's any semblance of a bump in the water.

"Riyuewan, about an hour away on the east coast, is a left hand point for a good fall/winter spot. It's easily accessed from the expressway and has a consistent left in good sized NE swells, and Shimei Bay Golf Course nearby is a left point with a rock jump off in bigger size."