Liu Dan, one of China's first female surfers, tells Deng Zhangyu about getting thrown off her board, the life lessons to be learned in water and why she is passionate about clean oceans.

Surfer Liu Dan will never forget the day four years ago when she was nearly swallowed by 3-meter waves in the Philippines.

Liu and her board were dumped by the strong waves, her body was thrown around in the rough waters like a rag doll. Underwater, she panicked, fearing death. But seeing a friend surfing nearby gave her the power to regain her calm. She fought the rough ocean for half an hour before she succeeded in swimming to safety.

"I was overwhelmed by negative emotions when the waves overpowered me. After I survived them, I knew I would be brave enough to face any danger," recalls Liu.

"Surfing makes me very happy even though I've been choked by water, hurt by my board and burned by a boat's exhaust pipe," says the 28-year-old. Sometimes surfers travel offshore by boat in search of waves.

Liu is one of China's first female surfers. Surfing is a minority sport in China, especially among women, who traditionally do not like spending too much time in the sun.

For Liu, standing on a surfboard and riding the waves is her greatest joy. She says the challenges she has overcome while surfing have helped to build up her confidence in other areas of her life.

The idea of becoming a surfer never occurred to Liu before she met her husband, who is from the United States. She was not even good at swimming. She hails from landlocked Enshi, a mountainous city in Central China's Hubei province.

Having studied ballet since she was a young girl, Liu's dream was to be a dance teacher. It wasn't until she met her husband - a passionate surfer - that she learned to love riding the waves on a long board, which requires good balance. Years of learning ballet gave Liu a major advantage. Her surfing friends call her the "wave ballerina".

In 2007, Liu and her husband moved to Sanya in Hainan province, which boasts the best beaches in China and sunshine throughout the year. Back then, most of the surfers in Sanya were foreigners. When Liu opened a small shop on the beach to teach people how to surf and rent boards, she found that the number of Chinese surfers had increased.

"Many Chinese do not live close to the sea. They are afraid of the ocean just like I used to be," says Liu.

"Fear of the ocean will be replaced by joy after you successfully stand on a surfboard," Liu adds.

Liu's Chinese customers are mainly young people, aged between 18 and 40. Many of them also enjoy skiing because both sports use boards.

Liu is unusual among Chinese women in that she is proud of her tanned skin, and she happily posed for the camera when she was invited to attend La Mer's charity event to celebrate World's Oceans Day in June.

Surfers are ardent environmentalists and work to protect the ocean, as so much of their joy comes from clean oceans, says Liu. She is passionate about ocean conservation.

Liu is angry when people leave their plastic swimming rings on beaches. When the tide comes in, the plastic toys are swallowed by the sea and they cover corallines, killing them. Cigarette butts and plastic bags are also major problems.

The surfer saw a turtle's stomach full of cigarette butts when she attended an activity held by Sea Turtle 911. The turtle mistook the cigarette butts for food and starved to death.

"I hope more Chinese fall in love with surfing, because then they will have more awareness about the importance of protecting our oceans," Liu says.

"The younger generation has a strong willingness to protect our environment and I believe they can give us a clean future."

Liu is very satisfied with her life. Every morning, she skateboards to her store on Sanya's beach, but if there are waves she goes surfing with friends.

Liu says she will keep surfing all her life. To help professional competitions grow, she hopes more young women will join the sport.

Liu's idol is Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer from the US who returned to surfing after losing an arm.

"There are always risks in life. I'll embrace them like I do in surfing. It's a lifetime of enjoyment and source of my confidence."

Contact the writer at dengzhangyu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 07/09/2014 page9)