Steve's Blog

Written by Steven Gong Monday, 13 December 2010 06:29

I was browsing for surf news from my hometown of San Francisco and found this company website: sanfranpsycho.com. This is interesting-- here's a company that started off doing surf movies and has branched out into selling t-shirts and bags, and also keeps a team of local surfriders on deck. I also found a myspace page for a local surf gang from San Francisco that describes itself thus:

legendary group of surfers,skaters,bikers,gangstas,hustlers,pimps and players old and young. Weve been running Kellys Cove at ocean beach San Francisco for decades. We consist of local talent who have grown up in san francisco and a select few who have earned a hall pass...... basically spending every second of free time at kellys and spreading our vibe around occasionally! ..

Wow, sounds intimidating. Most people in San Francisco aren't even tempted to spend their free time at the beach on account of the frigid water, rip currents, and perrenial foggy weather. I didn't know there was beef over the local spots, but then again I grew up playing soccer. I guess the same city that harbors a Hells Angels chapter can have its own group of surf nazis. Luckily for us at Surfing Hainan, we have our own gangster bossman to settle scores with rival cliques.

Where the cheese at?

Written by Steven Gong Monday, 29 November 2010 02:42

Hi everyone, I'm back from the dead with a fresh new blog entry. We've had a great deal of excitement since my last blog entry, most notably in the form of the 2010 Surfing Hainan Open, which you can check out at www.surfinghainanopen.com for pictures, videos, and results. October brought a surge of customers and luckily this coincided with the last swells of the season for Dadonghai. Since about mid-October Dadonghai has been completely flat, so I've been keeping fit on by taking an SUP out for a daily paddle whenever I'm not surfing. We've been going to Riyuewan on Hainan's east coast lately as it provides the consistent and quality waves during the Winter season. Here are some pictures from a recent SUP expedition with the coworkers and Dan Dan, who recently ran away but was happily reunited with his owner a few days later.

Dan Dan the runaway dog. 蛋蛋这条迷失的狗。

Pictured here from right: Dan Dan, me, Tobey. We have a new SUP board that Dan Dan and I are sitting on. Rides very fast and smooth.

从右起是：蛋蛋，我 和 李鹏。在照片里我跟蛋蛋站在冲浪海南的新浆板上。 这个板滑得又快又稳。

Julieta hauling Dan Dan on a considerably smaller SUP. 朱丽叶抱着蛋蛋在一个比较小的将板上。

It wasn't until about two years ago that I started noticing SUPs in the lineup at my local beach in California. I was skeptical that paddling such enormous boards could be fun until I had the opportunity to try one for myself here in Sanya. I took an SUP out during a random swell that lasted just one day a couple weeks ago and I was surprised by the rush I got from paddling onto knee-high waves. You can feel the inertia of riding such a massive board, especially when you hit a turn down the wave. Besides that, paddling an SUP every day is excellent for maintaing surf fitness. I see SUP as a viable cross-training substitute for any number of sports that require core strength-- most sports worth playing, in other words. I found a useful website that discusses all things SUP that's worth a visit for anyone interested: www.paddlesurf.net.

Aside from SUP, we had a good Halloween at the Dolphin Bar, where I won a prize for best tradtional costume due to the lack of original costumes at the party. Halloween isn't a big even in China. Still, I did spend some time making this head dress from construction paper and staples.

Chief sharing candy with Pale Face. 印第安人把糖果给白脸鬼。

Trill. Who are these freaks? 这些怪物是谁？

Written by Steven Gong Saturday, 20 November 2010 04:21

Had the best surf I've gotten since coming to China yesterday in Riyuewan. The point break at Riyuewan was working, and we had good fun surfing all afternoon. I was fortunate enough to share the afternoon with David and Jenny, a couple from Zhuhai, and Sun, a visitor from Dongbei Province, not to mention the guys at the Mama's restaurant and of course the Dahai surf crew. No surfing footage from yesterday, but check out this pic of a local beauty:

Written by Steven Gong Saturday, 20 November 2010 04:16

September has been doldrums for most of the month. We were expecting a large midweek swell this past week which did come to fruition, if only for several hours. Wednesday's morning surf was big and sloppy but the afternoon brought clean waves, some of which were complete bombs. By the time the surf got good the weather turned bad, with heavy rain, thunder and lightning.

Go, team!

While I was eating breakfast outside of the shop today I noticed something crawling up the branch of a shrub next to the shop. When I went over to looks I found this.

He blends right in.

My neighbor Tie Zhuang taught me the chameleon's Chinese name, 变色龙, which literally means color-changing dragon. In other news, the 22nd was the Mid-Autumn Festival, which means moon cakes. Moon cakes are a traditional delicacy served during the Mid-Autumn festival. They're small cakes with a crusty layer, usually filled with sweet lotus paste or bean paste. As the only fan of moon cakes in the shop, I've finished a family size box of moon cakes to over the last week. That is all.

Written by Steven Gong Saturday, 20 November 2010 04:14