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November 6, 2008
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The Taipei Main Station was crowded with morning commuters rushing to catch trains all over the island.
Right on time, a long-haired Caucasian figure emerged from the Chinese crowd dragging a huge board bag. Erwan Simon had flown from Paris, got his baggage onto a bus from the airport, then across the street into the main train station to catch the new High Speed Rail to the south of the island.
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We wanted to go even faster. Anticipation was high, as a typhoon had formed a few days before in the western Pacific, and was now gaining strength and moving northwest towards the top of Luzon in the Philippines. This was a good track to deliver a solid swell to southern Taiwan. Azuma Hiroaki, the Japanese surfer and shaper, met us at the station in Kaoshiung. Known as "Toumei" by everyone, he is a sponsored professional longboarder and has lived in the Kenting area for twelve years. Toumei shapes for many of the locals and knows all the good spots in southern Taiwan. We went for a quick surf check, which showed no swell at all yet, and then to the house where the two Europeans fell asleep with their clothes on for ten hours. The swell started building the next day, and we were introduced to one of the unique aspects of surfing in Taiwan: The Police Problem. The waves were good at a hollow left reef break with maybe ten surfers out. The wind was strong offshore, and there were some thick barrels. An unarmed policeman in uniform arrived, and several local surfers said "Oh, no. Everyone has to come in." He started blowing his whistle, and waving and... all the surfers came in. If a typhoon is closer than a certain distance from Taiwan, it is the responsibility of the police to make sure no one goes in the ocean. There are no lifeguards, and if surfers stay in the water, they can be arrested and given a large fine for ignoring the orders of the police.
Apparently, if a typhoon is closer than a certain distance from Taiwan, it is the responsibility of the police to make sure no one goes in the ocean. There are no lifeguards, and if surfers stay in the water, they can be arrested and given a large fine for ignoring the orders of the police. Foreigners are not exempt. They have to follow Taiwan law, even if it seems stupid to have the police responsible for surfers. The police know the main spots, but if there are no police you can go out and stay out as long as you want. After the introduction to the police and one of the rules of Taiwan surfing, we moved to another spot which is a little more under the radar, and where we were able to surf for several hours undisturbed. We went out for dinner that evening with several of the local Kenting and Taiwan surfers. They told us that surfing is booming in Taiwan, and there are many more surfers now than several years before. Chiade Hsieh is a north Taiwan local, and a frequent visitor to Kenting. "With the new train, it is much easier," he said. "I can leave a board with Toumei in Kenting, and take the Shinkansen to the south in two hours." As Japanese, Filipino, and Korean surfers know, typhoons can be tricky. If the track is north, the east coast of Taiwan can be good. If the track is west and below Taiwan, the west coast can be good. We checked the forecast after dinner, this typhoon was definitely on a westerly track. The next morning, we got up early and had several cold cans of Mr. Brown Coffee for breakfast. No time to eat. The swell was now huge, and many spots were closed out. Solid ten feet of Hawaiian-size typhoon swell was hitting the west coast. Fenggong is a popular spot on the west coast, and there was a strong offshore wind and at least 30 surfers in the water. We were about to go out, when some Taiwan Coast Guardsmen and several policemen arrived, and began to call all surfers out of the water with a bullhorn. They had a video camera, which the local surfers explained they use to videotape and identify surfers who do not leave the water, in order to issue citations for a large fine. We left, as Toumei said there was a better wave nearby that no one surfed and he was sure there would be no "Police Problem." We drove down a number of farmer's roads, and parked in the bushes. The waves were peeling left for 200 meters off a rivermouth sandbar of black sand, gravel, and stones with a strong offshore wind. Erwan and Michel surfed until dark on the fast and hollow lefts as bands of heavy rain from the approaching typhoon lashed the beach. The next morning the swell was even bigger. Listening to a local radio station in the car while driving to the beach, Toumei translated a news report that said two Taiwanese tourists had drowned at the popular Nan Wan beach in Kenting the evening before in big waves and strong currents. We went to the same rivermouth sandbar as the evening before, and it was much, much bigger. Huge lefts were breaking far outside the lineup, and the current was strong. After a few large waves, the surf kept getting bigger, and once the wind shifted to a southerly direction, everyone came in far down the point. We were happy no one was hurt, as Toumei said these were some of the biggest waves he had ever seen on the west coast. Perhaps it is this delicate political situation that makes Taiwan more open to outside influence than other places, as Taiwan recognizes it needs friends. Outsiders and their ideas are welcomed in Taiwan, from the obvious strong American and Japanese influences, to other foreign products, culture, investment, and visitors. Taiwanese are in a difficult position politically as they are Chinese, but Taiwan is not China. Most Taiwan people we spoke with are happy with the current status quo, where Taiwan is officially a province of China but has a different political system and control of institutions; a country in all but name. Everyone recognizes a declaration of independence as a provocation towards China that could lead to a terrible war and no one wants that, so the current situation suits most people as the best solution. The best solution for us was to keep surfing. Typhoon swells come up fast and can drop even faster, depending on the track of the storm. This typhoon was moving slowly enough to generate a lot of swell, but getting close to China. Once the typhoon makes landfall in China, the swell will decline rapidly. So we did what most surfers do on a surf trip... surf as much as possible. MORE TRAVEL SURFLINE HOME PAGE |