“Chinese Cyclone” threatens to overwhelm “Brazilian Storm” as utopian People’s Republic experiences scintillating surf boom!

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once!

You are, likely, watching day three of the MEO Rip Curl Portugal Pro, right now, maybe cheering for Gabriel Medina in his round of thirty-two, heat fifteen matchup against Hawaii’s Seth Moniz. Medina is but one of many excellent surfers who have poured into the champion tour ranks, en masse, during this past decade. The deluge, called the “Brazilian Storm” has gifted us, surf fans, phenomenal talents which to observe and enjoy.

Surfing was erroneously said to arrive in the land of order and progress via Australia though our grand historian Matt Warshaw directly refuted in his weekly must-read newsletter (subscribe here).

A mistake that I genuinely regret is being party to the idea, handed along now for nearly 60 years, that Peter Troy introduced surfing to Brazil. Troy, a tall, lanky, blond-haired blue-eyed surfer from Victoria, Australia, cofounder of the Bells Beach contest, arrived in Rio in the winter of 1964, halfway through an epic four-year surf trip through Europe and the Americas. What happened there, exactly? In a 1968 SURFER profile, Troy was said to have “influenced surfing techniques in Brazil.” In a second profile, from 1987, edited by yours truly, it states without equivocation that Troy was “the first person to surf in Brazil.”

Surfing had, in truth, been introduced to Brazil much earlier but the question, for our time, is when it was introduced to the People’s Republic of China?

The world’s most populous country, some 1.4 billion and counting, has recently fallen in love with the sport of kings, participation booming by large percentages. CNN took important time out from giggling at rival Fox over hypocritical text messages to highlight why those who call the utopia home have taken it up.

“Surfing has been a rising trend in China over the last two years. It’s partly because of the efforts surfers and surf clubs like us have been putting into the scene for the last decade. But it’s also because of the pandemic,” surf club owner Zhang Chao told the news network. “As outdoor activities are preferred (amid Covid restrictions), many people head to the beach and start surfing… People are also becoming less work-oriented and are looking for an alternative way of life they enjoy.”

“Surfing gives you a sense of freedom because we are always looking at our smartphones and always sitting in the office so our mind is always occupied. So you just bring your surfboard and go to the ocean and you can forget about anything,” yogi and photographer Tina Tang added.

The piece profiles the most serious surf towns including Riyue Bay, Shuanyue Bay, Nanyan Bay, Liu’ao and Shilaoren Beach which leads to the important question “when will the Chinese Cyclone appear on our World Surf League?”

The aforementioned “global home of surfing” does not currently host any competitions in China which seems short sighted. It must be assumed that chiefs Erik Logan and Jessi Miley-Dyer will get on it as soon as their important speaking duties in Austin, Texas are finished.

Many flame emojis.

Also, while you’re here, did you watch the Academy Awards last night?

Thoughts?