The Land Of Dancing Pandas, Fireblowers, And Big Fucking Ramps

Ten years ago, in what now feels like an objectively different era, Matt Wilkinson won back-to-back CT events.  

A win in 2016 netted you $100k, and Wilko spent 5% of that on the bar tab at his Bells Beach afterparty. 

The bill included approximately 150 shots of vodka. “No one went to jail,” he proudly told ESPN at the time. 

In his post-WSL life, Wilko’s made some smart plays in real estate and is raising a family while quickly becoming a highly sought-after coach. That path led him to China earlier this year with a crew of Australia’s best young surfers for an air camp at our next Stab High venue, Riyue Bay. 

“It was my first trip to China, so it was pretty nerve-wracking to take 15 groms,” he says. “I rented a van for our crew, and it all went surprisingly smoothly. Everyone there expects you to speak English, so they’ve got their little translator app ready to go when you walk up, and they’re super patient with you. ” 

“The pool itself is pretty bougie,” he continues. “We were pretty fired up going into it, but I think it exceeded everyone’s expectations. If you get to the section kind of early, there’s not much whitewash to land on, so you’re dancing with danger. But if you can be patient and time it right, it sends you to the moon and the landing’s pretty nice. I haven’t been to every pool, but it seems like the best air section to me.”   

Nice. But how about…everything else? 

“When you get out of the pool zone, it’s a completely different world. There were thousands of tourists walking around little streets with barbecues going, music blaring, and stalls selling stuff. People were dressed super nice on the beach, too, which was interesting. It almost had a clean, old-school Kuta vibe. Once night comes around, the beachfront bars come alive. There are people blowing fire and pandas dancing and wild stuff like that. It’s kind of like a street party, but with a Chinese rule-following vibe. Nobody seems all drunk and crazy. It’s loud and busy, but feels pretty sterile at the same time.” 

Logistics-wise, Wilko offered a few straightforward tips. You’ll want to sort your ESIM in advance, or else you’ll find yourself on the wrong side of China’s Great Firewall. Your credit card also won’t work in a lot of places, so it’s best to figure out how to pay with WeChat or Alipay before you go. Finally, China has strict rules about flying with batteries, so do your research before showing up with lithium encased in plastic. 

Public sessions at the pool cost about $80 USD for the most advanced setting, or a bit less if you want something a little softer. In other words, it is arguably the best bang for your buck wave pool on the planet. 

To get there, you’ve got two choices for airports. Sanya is a little closer, but Haikou can be cheaper and has more options, including direct flights from Australia. You can stay on site, with affordable hotel rooms (approximately $100 a night) and a few different food options. And it’s quite easy to walk from there to the waves out front (a fun left point and an ok beachie) and the scene Wilko’s been describing. 

On that note, we’ll leave you with this. 

“You definitely feel like an outsider, and you might see people stopping to take photos of you. Everybody seems friendly, though. It was funny to see the groms interact with it. They were tripping on some of the food — chicken feet and stuff. They were dancing with random Chinese people and getting picked up by pandas and swung around. It’s rare to go somewhere these days and have it feel completely new. Most places feel like they’re striving to be like the West, and it just doesn’t feel like that there. They’ve got their own culture, and they’re happy with it. It’s sick to experience.” 

Wilko is currently in China with a crew for another air camp (follow along on his IG here). He’s planning more trips in January and March. Check his site here for more info.