Monkey Island

The flight into Fenghuang Airport passes just a few kilometres from Sanya Bay. This vast freeride venue with bump-&-jump potential only works in southerly winds during the summer monsoon (Jun-Sep) as NE blows cross-offshore. It’s a different story in Yalong Bay where it’s directly cross-shore and thermals off the surrounding mountains skew it cross-on through the course of a sunny day. In cooler, cloudy weather the mountains spoil a more northerly wind. The headlands extend way out to sea on both sides, so waves hardly ever get in except for the odd nice kicker. A good 10km north-east, the 20km-long Haitang Bay opens up. The southern end has the only tarmac road in, with a car park by the pier at Wuzhizhou Island wharf from where ferries serve the dive-sites around the nearby tropical garden isle. There are just a couple of small fishing villages around the bay, which is open enough to wind and waves for a small beach-break that can get a lot bigger on a typhoon swell. An hour-and-a-half from Sanya, Tengqiao in the north of Haitang Bay promises a beautiful white beach as far as the eye can see, and equally nice conditions – even clean waves if there’s any swell about. Unfortunately the wind’s a bit gusty as it blows over the headland, and there are no shops or restaurants so bring food and water for the day. In summertime SW Monsoon, try the channel in front of the lush green backdrop of Monkey Island. The shallow water’s great for beginners and the natural inlet provides a sheltered anchorage for fishing junks and a 'floating village’. Further up the east coast, the long narrow beach at Bo’ao isn’t ideal for launching kites but is wide open to NE windswell and clean wind. Plus there are some lodgings and hotels to stay at. Fly into Haikou Meilan International Airport up north and Xiuying Beach is the first chance to hit the water before a 270km drive to Sanya. There’s even a windsurf centre at this urban bump-&-jump spot.