In the spring of 2022, I worked with Shaka Surf and Vans down in Hainan, China to film a portrait of some of the surfers that call the beaches there their home. Over the course of 10 days we filmed over a dozen surfers and edited out 8 profile videos, a full 30 minute series, and a bucketful of social content and photographs. This was one of my favourite pieces, following Mickey, a semi-retired rockstar and his son, Mumu. To see the whole series, click here.
Sandy beaches, palm trees and surf shacks aren't usually what comes to mind when thinking about China and until covid, the surf scene in Hainan was a quiet one, attracting a few tourists but diehard Chinese surfers were more interested in the better swells off the coasts of South East Asia. As boarders locked down over the last year and a half, surf and beach culture started coming home, finding its place along the coastline of Hainan. These are images shot for Shaka Surf.
With boarders essentially closed in China, Hainan is seeing a shift in its visitors, from a very local, family resort destination, to young trendy Chinese influencers looking to get an edge on their feeds and seek out new destinations within the country. It wasn't long before tourism started creeping up the coast of Hainan to less crowded beaches and more serious surf spots like Wanning. Budding surfers started staying longer and longer, taking up part time jobs and shrugging off the stressful overtime-obsessed lives in cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing. Surf shacks like Shaka have seen a rush of guests and applications to become surf instructors.
Beyond the crowded beaches and the endless selfies, surfing in China was on the upswing over past few years, there has been a push in sports schools along the east coast to move athletes from water-sports like diving into surfing, and despite missing out on being part of Surfing's Olympic debute this summer, there are plenty of young surfers with serious skills finding their place amongst the waves in Hainan, a sign that surfing isn't just a passing trend for the island.
This is another video from the ‘Surfing Ignites’ series with Vans and Shaka featuring Angela, a Brazilian Taiwanese graphic designer and Surfer. To view the whole series, click here.
As China closed its boarders due to COVID, more and more young Chinese nationals have been seeking out unique adventures within the mainland, leading countless people to the beaches of Wanning and Houhai on Hainan Island. Surf culture in China is exploding, my first project with Shaka was to make this documentary about it.
These images are shot for Shaka Surf.
What set-up works for a client like this?
A recent shoot for Shaka was a partnership with a clothing brand, where we spent 10 days interviewing various personalities associated with Shaka and the surf scene. The result from the 10 day shoot was 8 mini bio-pics, a handful of short clips and GIFs, and almost 500 edited photos that were either directly associated with the project or of other aspects of Shaka’s business, like their restaurant. This collection, and these videos will fill Shaka’s content calendar for the next quarter, to half a year. Similar clients who have taken this content to content with me have been tea brands, vineyards, and individuals like Chai, who need a series of videos and other content as well.