Hainan has more surfing potential than I think any of us realise,' says Robert 'Wingnut' Weaver, an American pro surfer and representative for surf and skate brand Santa Cruz, as he stares out over the South China Sea. The first morning of competitions has just ended on the southern Chinese island and the 40-plus surfers present for the long weekend make their way to the small beach shack that serves as their base of operations and main source of food. Much like the rest of Riyuewan, the quiet bay that has hosted the fledgling annual Surfing Hainan Open since it was established in 2008, the restaurant is ramshackle and not used to dealing with the appetites of several dozen young surfers - mostly expats living in Hong Kong and Shanghai - but the family who run it struggle admirably on while their child spins around the crowded tables in his buggy. It could not be more appropriate as a headquarters for the event. While being billed as China's main surf competition, it is also an ad hoc and informal affair in a country that is yet to embrace the sport. Competitors stroll into town in the week leading up to the heats, some from as far away as Australia but most making the short journey from Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai. After dumping their stuff at one of the two basic guest houses in the village, they hit the waves. Despite it more than doubling in size by the time the second event came around, it remains the domain of foreigners living in the region, with only a handful of Asian competitors and those flying in from overseas. 'Surfing in Hainan is one blip below the radar,' Weaver says. 'None of the big surfing magazines have organised a photo shoot here yet, so it is still mostly unknown.' Most people would never think to look to China for good surfing opportunities. Yet buffeted by the after effects of typhoons that hit Japan and the Philippines - and a fair share of direct hits this year - the waves along the southern and eastern coast of Hainan can be huge. Despite the lack of reefs, long beaches and open bays make the surf challenging. For those pulling up for the first time in Riyuewan - a two-hour taxi journey up the east coast from the southern resort city of Sanya - it can seem oddly out of place in China. Its sandy beaches snake along the coastline and clusters of surfers ride the waves on the horizon. Donkeys chew on clumps of grass poking through the sand, near grey walls of rundown guest houses that would once have shone white. And when the competition is on, there's a haggard Brendan Sheridan, one of the event's main organisers and founder of Surfing Hainan, a small local company that organises trips, rents out equipment and helps promote the sport in China. 'We have an opportunity to introduce a new destination to surfers worldwide and promote surfing to the Chinese,' Sheridan says, as he tries to ensure everyone has a bed for the night and that glitches in the PA system are fixed. After years of scrabbling about unnoticed in the world of surfing, Sheridan and other organisers hope the competitions will establish Hainan - a short flight from Hong Kong and known as China's Hawaii - as a surfing destination. The problem is that no one quite believes China can become a surfing hot spot, and the Chinese, while curious, are hardly taking to the sport in droves. Still, Sheridan is optimistic. 'We get hundreds of young Chinese surfers taking lessons with us every year,' he says. 'They generally love it and often come back with friends.' Chinese beginners congregate near Sanya, where the beaches are more developed, the waves smaller and where bodyboarders are out in force. More experienced surfers head out in rental cars, surfboards strapped to the top, in search of unsurfed waves and breaks. Back in Riyuewan, the competitors, sated by their lunch, are preparing for the afternoon heats and the evening's festivities. The heats are relaxed, especially as the waves have been dying down as the days progress. Those who arrived early are celebrating their good fortune at taking the extra days off work to enjoy the waves. 'It isn't Hawaii, that's for sure,' says Daniel Lau, a Hawaiian-born but Beijing-based marketing director. Lau arrived a week before the competition and spent the intervening days riding the tail end of a large storm in Japan. 'For the first few days the surf was great, but it tailed off,' he says. Despite this, the surfers on the beach cheer as those out in the water catch a wave and rip it up. A makeshift judges' stand has been built out of scaffolding, while gazebos offer shade to the dozens of Chinese spectators and coolers full of beer. Apart from this small cluster of structures, the beach is empty. Unfortunately, the waves shrink from above head height on the first day of the competition to waist high by the last, and while there are some grumbles the continual supply of food, alcohol and good humour on offer keeps spirits high. 'You're always at the mercy of the ocean,' says Todd Moore, who runs a surf school in Hong Kong, as he shrugs and grabs another beer. Towards the end of the last day, as the judges decide the top three surfers in each category, the group gets together for one last meal and the awarding of trophies. In keeping with the low-key nature of the event, no one seems bothered about their placing; it is simply an excuse to go surfing. And while the two Chinese surfers fail to finish among the top three, they are applauded for being probably the best surfers in China - not a hard feat in a country with no sponsored surfers. 'Surfing is in its infancy in China,' Moore says. 'The locals don't surf here, so there are just empty breaks. Hainan has a whole coastline that hasn't been touched, and it is really good quality surf. 'You kind of want to keep it to yourself,' he adds as an afterthought, and then heads to the beach to get in one last wave before going back to Hong Kong. This year's competition takes place from November 6 to 8. Visit www.surfinghainan.com/2010surfinghainanopen