Judith Blaine, who has lived in Hong Kong for 30 years, is a relative newcomer to surfing – which she describes as unlike any other sport.
“I’m a beginner, but I absolutely love it,” she says. “You feel really immersed in nature, and you feel just at peace, at one with your environment.”
She and the Hong Kong surfing community were left bewildered and frustrated when the Hong Kong government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LSCD) began strictly enforcing a surfing ban at public beaches last summer.
Surfers have long flocked to catch waves at Big Wave Bay in Hong Kong Island’s Southern district – one of the 42 gazetted public beaches where surfing is technically banned. At this popular destination they could rent boards and hire instructors.
But in the summer of 2024, “No surfing” signs were posted at the beach, and police and lifeguards were intent on enforcing them. Those who were caught faced a possible fine of HK$2,000 or up to two weeks in prison.
There was no official explanation for the crackdown at the time. The surfing community says that measures were stepped up after Undersecretary for Security Michael Cheuk Hau-yip warned people to avoid chasing waves during extreme weather. At a press briefing last May, Cheuk said they were putting emergency response officers in danger.