During the summer, the waves can be more fickle, as we ourselves saw. The waves shift from the east coast to the southern part of the island, which includes Dadonghai Bay in Sanya, where we staying. This makes it convenient and easy for people to catch some waves. Renting a board is not particularly difficult in Sanya, and no wetsuit is needed in summer. Walking around the city we saw a place that rented boards, and also our hostel had them for hire.

Not wanting to let the lack of waves get the best of us, we decided to visit the east coast and check it out for ourselves. If the waves were up, we were told we could rent a board there. Getting to the east coast is not easy. Our goal was Shimei Bay. To get there by bus we were told we had to go first to the city of Xinglong, then transfer to another bus that would take us to the beach. Our total travel time would be about three hours. That was a bit too long. We thought of renting a car, but to rent a car in China we were told that drivers must have a Chinese or International license.

Instead, we decided to hire a driver for the day, something our hostel arranged for us. For 500 yuan, he took us to Shimei Bay and back. A little after 7 AM our taxi driver arrived and we headed to Shimei Bay. A drive along the coast gives visitors a better sense of Hainan. The green mountains, lush valleys and blue skies reveal its natural beauty. Farmers can be seen toiling in the hot sun, and the smaller cities and towns show that Hainan still has some economic catching up to do with more affluent parts of China.

As our driver pulled into a deserted parking lot, we didn't know what to expect. As we approached the sea, however, we were treated to every beachgoer's dream – a deserted stretch of sand on a tropical island. We were literally the only people on the beach most of the day. The water was warm and clean, there was ample shade under a palm tree and there were even public bathrooms. There was no ugly development or people hawking their wares at you on the beach, just water, sand and sun. It was definitely the highlight of our trip.