The inaugural 2009 Surfing Hainan Open
[color=0033CC][size=x-small]A bit late on posting this story but good to see what’s going on in China[/size][/color]
The inaugural 2009 Surfing Hainan Open took
place on January 10thand 11that Shimei, on
China’s beautiful Hainan island. With reports of
a peaking swell for the Saturday, competitors
were in high spirits in the lead up to the contest.
As the first surfing contest in mainland China in
several years and the first ever to have
Bodyboardand Longboarddivisions the event
attracted around 20 competitors across three
divisions, attracting riders from South China,
Hong Kong and even as far afield as Korea, all
vying for top honors, and prizes from the event
sponsors.With competitors staying in Riyuebay, the morning greeted them
with sunny skies and an offshore breeze, meaning conditions
were excellent for entrants. After a short drive to the contest site
at Nanyanbay, mechanical 2-3 foot left handerswith a brisk
offshore winds were on offer for the day.
The preliminary rounds made the most of the lower tide
conditions linking up some long rides and working the peeling
walls to their advantage. With a slight push in swell as the tide
began moving in, set waves drew hoots and screams from the
crowd of around 70 who were enjoying the spectacle in the water
as well the Hainan scenery.
Early standouts included Rose Speers, who had
travelled from Guangzhou to compete, showing
good wave selection and smooth style in the
Longboarddivision. Nathan Mettlerand Craig
Colbran also put on a great performance in the
Shortboardwaiting further out for the set
waves and riding through a surgytake off to get
the maximum rides and scores they could.
However the early rounds were overshadowed
by Todd Moore’s mammoth ride in the
Longboard, riding from the take off on the
point, weaving his way down the line, finally
pulling off almost 100meters down the beach,
which had the crowd on their feet shouting in
disbelief. Todd would eventually take “Wave of
the Day” for his ride that showed the true
potential of the break, and had longtime surfers
and first time spectators amazed.
A lunch break was taken to allow competitors and spectators a chance to head to the local restaurant up the beach to
sample local cuisine, however many opted to head out for a free surf and sample the waves instead.
As finals time rolled around the high tide had made tricky conditions for competitors with less consistent sets coming
in at the point, but with all reports saying the swell was to peak on Saturday, contest organizers opted to finish up the
finals.
The bodyboardwas out first, with a two man final. Cameron Hirst took an early good ride on a set wave with Daniel
Jeffery waiting for further waves to match it. A few sets pushed in late in the heat but the riders were inside
paddling out from early rides, and with the heat coming to a close Daniel couldn’t catch up allowing Cameron to
take the title and Daniel coming in 2nd.
The Longboardfinal was highly
anticipated by many on the beach
with some great rides early on and
perfect conditions for the longer
boards. All riders waited and picked
off several good rides, Todd Moore
again taking a few long ones, but with
less size and scoring potential. As the
heat moved on Nathan Mettlershowed some good ability, but
couldn’t quite get the ride length
needed to score highly. It looked like it
was down to Rose Speers and Craig
Colbran who both scored set waves
and performed several nice turns on
each, giving the judges plenty to think
about.
With the heat drawing to a close, all contestants except Craig had paddled in, and right on the buzzer a set came
through. Time was up but Craig was paddling into a wave which he worked well, cranking out turns and riding
smoothly. The wave was a heat winner but there was debate as to whether the wave was after the buzzer, but
the judges had scored it and it seemed Craig had taken out the title with the ride.
In the shortboardfinal all 4
finalists had shown they had the
goods to take it out, but as the
heat progressed Nathan Mettlerand Craig Colbran were showing
good patience picking off the
bigger waves, and taking off as
deep as possible. Vaughn Hill
managed to take few good rides,
but with wave selection
becoming tough he couldn’t get
enough of the bigger sets and
had to settle for 4th.
Todd Moore was in contention early on and was a
crowd favorite after his wave of the day ride in the
Longboard, but couldn’t get the rides to back up his
scores and finally came in 3rd. Craig and Nathan
battled it out waiting out for the biggest sets, which
eventually paid off and when the heat came to a close
it was anyone’s call who had won, and with one day to
go before the prize giving, the riders were left in
suspense.
Sunday dawned perfect, with blue skies and a light offshore, and to the contest organizers disbelief an increase
in swell. With amazing waves on offer, and perfect conditions, all on hand took the opportunity free surf
throughout the day at the Riyuebay point. As the time drew near to pack the bus and head back to Sanyafor
the prize giving at Fat Daddy’s restaurant, the group were buzzing from the great weekend and unexpected
pumping surf they had experienced.
As the day packed up, contestants travelled back to Riyuebay, where “Mamas” local restaurant was set for the
Saturday night bash, with the restaurant right on the beach overlooking the surf and a full moon in the night sky it
was the perfect evening after a full days competing. Contestants and spectators feasted on the local food and beer,
with local DJ Pablo working the turntables, giving everyone tunes to enjoy the night. As the food finished up, DaHaifrom Surfing Hainan had prepared a huge bonfire, and everyone made their way onto the sand to relax and chat
about the great day it had been.
On arriving at Fat Daddy’s contestants
and spectators enjoyed the food and
drinks provided, in the relaxing outdoor
area. As the presentations began the
crowd was in high spirits, and with the
presentation of the LongboardCraig
Colbran showed true sportsmanship
handing his 1stplace prize over to Rose
Speers, accepting his final wave
shouldn’t have been counted. The
moment was a great representation of
the camaraderie and caring shown by
all throughout the weekend.
The Shortboardfinal was a tight race, with 1stand
2ndgoing to a countback. Finally it was Nathan
Mettlerwho took the honors for 1st, with Craig
Colbran coming in 2ndas the crowd on hand
hooted for all finalists.
As the prize giving came to a close, and many
heading back to the airport for flights that night,
many took the chance to farewell new friends and
chat about the fantastic weekend. With next
year’s event slated to be bigger and better, many
vowed they would return.
Final placings:
Bodyboard
1. Cameron Hirst
2. Daniel Jeffery
3. Luke Hawkins
Longboard
1. Rose Speers (*)
2. Craig Colbran(*)
3. Nathan Mettler
4. Todd Moore
Shortboard
1. Nathan Mettler
2. Craig Colbran
3. Todd Moore
4. Vaughn Hill
www.surfinghainan.com