The exact origins of surfing are unknown but it is thought to have begun in Polynesia more than 3,000 years ago when fishermen realised that riding a wave was the most efficient way of bringing back their catch. But it wasn't until the 1960s that surfing and its associated 'culture' became mainstream. The 1959 American film Gidget, followed by The Endless Summer, in 1966, increased the sport's popularity and was the start of an explosion of surf culture in California, Hawaii and Australia. Surf music, popularised by bands such as the Surfaris and the Beach Boys, became a global phenomenon. But, to borrow a lyric from the Beach Boys, when did 'surfin' USA' become 'surfin' HK'?

Surfing developed a foothold in Hong Kong during the Vietnam war. American marines here on breaks from the war zone hit the beaches with their long boards. It was not until the late 70s, though, that a surfing community developed.

Wanda Kennedy, or Tai-san ('Tarzan') as she is affectionately known, has been a part of Hong Kong's surf scene since the early days. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, the 58-year-old has been catching waves in Hong Kong for 28 years.

According to surf lore, the 16th-century Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon missed the point in his search for the fountain of youth: what he was looking for was all around him. To stay young, all he needed to do was to jump over the ship's rail and start surfing. Kennedy may be proof of this. Her eyes sparkle when she talks about surfing and she exudes a youthful energy. Originally a boogie boarder, she graduated to a longer board three years ago.

'A real surf culture has built up over the years. A group of Western people and Chinese guys started picking it up in the 70s and 80s. It was originally a small community but it is [growing] - more friends of friends are coming,' says Kennedy.

That surfing is thriving in Hong Kong is surprising. Waves are not guaranteed, nor are there many beaches to choose from. In the summer, Lantau's Pui O and Cheung Sha beaches are considered reasonable surfing locations, providing the wind blows from the southwest. In the winter, Big Wave Bay, near Shek O, is a popular spot. But the best place to surf in Hong Kong is considered to be Tai Long Wan. The open sea means there is a constant swell, often as high as 1? metres, when the wind blows from the northeast.

Keen hikers will know this beach is far from accessible. It's not possible to follow the Beach Boys' example in Surfin' Safari and 'load up the woody' - a station wagon - and drive to the dunes. Hong Kong surfers have to haul their boards for more than an hour over steep terrain or try to persuade a friendly Tai Long Wan local to store it for them.

A lack of reefs in Hong Kong waters means waves depend on constantly changing sandbars on the ocean floor. Consequently, surfing here is highly seasonal, unlike places such as Bali, in Indonesia, where permanent reef breaks guarantee year-round rollers.

Shawn Chiu, 33, is the organiser of Surf Ace, a Facebook group dedicated to surfing in Hong Kong. Chiu estimates there are 150 to 200 regular surfers here but says, historically, the surfing community 'has not been very cohesive'.

A few years ago, Ken Choi, organiser of the Hurley Surf Cup and founder of X Game, set out to change this by raising the profile of the sport. The great thing about surfing, says Choi, is that 'it is not like wakeboarding. It is with nature.'

Any encounter with Kennedy or Choi, who was the Hong Kong windsurfing representative at the 1984 Olympic Games and won a bronze medal at the 1982 Asian Games, reaffirms the notion that surfing keeps people young at heart. On the day of the Hurley Surf Cup, Choi was dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and a trendy pair of trainers, his floppy greying hair sticking out in tufts from under a baseball cap. According to the X Game website, Choi wants to 'explore more interesting sports, hoping to bring some breakthrough into people's routine lives'.

'I wish more and more people in Hong Kong would try the sports that I have brought in. Don't let yourself live for nothing but work,' says Choi.

The Hurley Surf Cup has been instrumental in bringing international professionals to our shores.

'This is a really great experience for Hong Kong,' said Indonesian professional surfer Rizal Tanjung, 34, who was in attendance for the second year in a row, giving tips and providing a demonstration for the crowd. 'There are not many contests like this. There is more happening this year [2009] and more people. I can't wait to come [back].'

Organising a competition of this scale in Hong Kong has not been easy.

'I managed to talk to surf companies and ask for some money to build a tent and donate some prize money,' says Choi, 'but you can't even have a beach party in Hong Kong. On Tai Long Wan, it is OK. [But] holding surfing events in Big Wave Bay just became too complicated and over-regulated so we had to shut everything down.'

In 1997, the Urban Council tried to ban surfing in Big Wave Bay when a swimmer was hit by an out-of-control surfboard. Surfers had to obtain written approval up to two months in advance from the council if they wanted to surf there. Given that waves are unpredictable, that was impractical. If surfers defied the ban they were liable to a HK$2,000 fine.

The Hong Kong Surfing Association, founded two years previously to develop the sport and give beginners a good grounding in the basic techniques and rules, negotiated with the government and it was eventually agreed that surfing would be allowed in areas cordoned off from swimmers.

Surfers had another run in with the government in 1999. The death of a surfer during Typhoon York led the Urban Services Department to consider a ban on surfing during stormy weather, which is when the best waves are often to be found. Surfers would have faced a HK$2,000 fine and 14 days imprisonment if they broke the law. However, complaints from surfers meant the ban was never imposed. Instead, the Provisional Urban Council suggested making Big Wave Bay a designated surfing beach, especially as the red no-swimming flag is hoisted at the beach for an average of nine months each year. Nothing came of this proposal.

The Hong Kong Surfing Association has ceased to exist. 'Ten years ago it was around but now the chairman [Simon Chau] has stopped surfing - we can't find him anymore,' says Choi.

Kennedy says the Hong Kong Surfing Association was established when the gov- ernment tried to ban the sport. She suggests it ceased to exist when it won its argument with the authorities.

Sports brands such as O'Neill, Quiksilver, Hurley, Rip Curl, Volcom and Billabong have expanded from the American and Australian surf scenes to set up shop in Hong Kong. If the Hurley Surf Cup crowd is anything to go by, the outfit of choice seems to centre on the hoodie. If you are a girl, it has to be an over- sized one and, figure permitting, a small pair of beach shorts.

The growth in surf culture has brought with it other commercial opportunities. Surf boutiques have popped up and existing beach-side dai pai dong have cashed in on the extra trade; as well as noodles, 'Mr Lai's' at Tai Long Wan offers board rental and surf-gear storage.

Takashi Fujisaki from Japan imports merchandise for Channel Island Surfboards, a Californian company that supplies the X Game shops. He has been in Hong Kong for nine years and says business is booming.

'We have seen lots of interest over the last few years. Nine years ago there were about 50 regular surfers, in the past five years the population has grown to more like 300,' Fujisaki says.

One criticism levelled at the community is that Westerners dominate the surf competitions.

'Surfing is a Western sport,' says Choi. 'There are many Caucasians and some locals. Because we only let the best surfers into the [Hurley Surf Cup], the finals are always really good but locals can't [qualify].'

However, things are changing. Hong Kong native Chan Sin-man came second in the women's event at last year's competition and Man Hing-wan came third in the men's B contest.

'I am very happy, everyone is very happy,' Choi said after the results were announced. 'Last year there were 12 [locals] entering, this year nearly double; 20.'

Ethnicity doesn't matter when it comes to partying. At the Hurley Surf Cup many spectators and competitors slept in tents on the beach the night before the competition. The next morning was a relaxed affair as people lay by their tents, eating, sleeping or just soaking up the atmosphere. Pet dogs bounded in and out of the sea as music vibrated through the sand.

'It is a nice concept to camp at the site and the hiking trail is beautiful,' says Tanjung. 'The crowd that was willing to make such an effort to go all the way there are the hard-core of surfing. I like that.'

'We try to make the Hurley Cup like Hawaii in the US,' says Choi. 'We do it like [it's] the World Cup.'

Such a competition in Hong Kong is less likely to end in bloodshed than one held in the US, however.

Last May, physician James MacDonald reported to the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle that the notion of a peaceful and harmonious surf culture may be outdated.

'I am surprised at how much violence there can be in [US] surfing culture. Some of the injuries I've seen have nothing to do with surfing - they're fisticuffs. There's no referee to break up fights,' said MacDonald.

'There is sometimes a bit of tension between surfers [in Hong Kong],' says Choi. 'It happens but we don't have any problems. There are rules in surfing - like you don't drop into people's waves. Some beginners don't know this but they learn fast after people get angry. There have been some collisions when beginners can't handle their boards but even good surfers were beginners once - and now they can get out of the way of beginners.'

'There's no friction that I'm aware of,' says Hong Kong-based Australian surfer Keith McMullen, 57. 'In Australia, 10 or 15 years back, surfers used to be in conflict with sub groups such as bikers; but that was Australia. To my knowledge, Hong Kong hasn't had the same problems.'

A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Police said that they could not uncover any record of violence or drug taking among Hong Kong surfers, an unusual outcome for a sport that has a rock and rolling reputation for 'alternative living' but here it seems people are more focused on fun.

'Surfing in Hong Kong is not the best quality, but ... there are lots of enthusiasts,' says McMullen. 'It is a close-knit community and everyone supports each other whatever your race. You can travel around the world and find that other surf spots are very aggressive. Here ... no one cares about your ability. No one wants to be a No1 'gun'. There is no dog-eat-dog mentality like in Oz and Hawaii. Sometimes we don't want more people to surf as they might crowd the waves but they are more than welcome.'

Fellow Australian and winner of the Hurley Surf Cup (and HK$3,000), Jason Guy, 30, agrees. A Cathay Pacific pilot, Guy has been living in Hong Kong for 21/2 years.

'Locals [here] are more laid-back than in Oz and it's easier to get a wave. However, the downside to surfing in Hong Kong is people on the MTR look at you like you've got two heads when you're carrying your surfboard.'

As for drugs, which are often associated with the sport elsewhere in the world, Choi says: 'Sure, some surfers smoke weed but this is done individually - there is no gang. It doesn't matter if they are surfers or not; this happens across Hong Kong.'

Hongkonger Kevin Tsang, 26, an engineer, took up surfing last summer with a friend, Xyla Yu, 25, who works in a brokerage. The pair have travelled to the mainland to surf when the wave conditions in Hong Kong have been poor.

Laughing, Tsang explains the perils of being a beginner and how hard it can be to catch a wave: 'I get so tired on the water. I'm just swimming out there.

'The whole surfing community is friendly and very helpful. They will look at my board and ask what I have done to get so much damage and even give me tips on how I can paddle faster,' he says.

'We just started in the summer and we have never seen so many people on the beach. People start to remember each other's faces. You get along with them and then become one of them,' adds Yu.

But to truly be part of the Hong Kong surf crowd, novices have to abandon thoughts of a Beach Boys-style endless summer. The best surfing takes place when the region is in the grip of what passes for winter in these parts, when the water temperatures are at their lowest.

On a chilly weekend last month, the beaches of Shek O and Big Wave Bay were crowded with surfers drawn to the water by reports of big waves. The surf was up due to a cold snap generated by a northeast monsoon. Clad in wetsuits, the surfers rode waves that were more than two metres high as white caps brought flashes of brightness to a sea the colour of lead.

There were no California girls in sight but for a true surfer, as the Beach Boys put it, 'when you catch a wave [you're] sittin' on top of the world'.