Riyue Bay

Riyue Bay Surf Resort opened in November 2025 in Wanning, on Hainan Island's southeast coast, making it China's first dedicated surf resort. It sits adjacent to the natural Riyue Bay, long the center of China's competitive surf scene and the training base for the national team. The pool is powered by PerfectSwell technology from American Wave Machines and spans a 10-hectare (25-acre) campus that also includes two hotels and a retail district.

The wave pool, branded internally as SURFLAND, runs on a 30-chamber pneumatic system that fires waves ranging from 0.5 to 2.7 meters (about 1.5 to 9 feet). A new wave is produced every six seconds, and ride time tops out around 18 seconds. There are 23 programmed configurations covering four skill-zone tiers that the resort labels Heavy Wave, Medium Wave, Light Wave, and Gentle Wave. The configuration menu includes a-frames, the 6MCFLY aerial wave (specifically built for air maneuvers, not just turns), and settings comparable to what PerfectSwell runs at BSR in Waco and its Brazil facilities, including double-shot and drainer options. Early footage from the pre-opening test sessions showed surfers landing clean airs off the dedicated air section. Because PerfectSwell uses compressed-air pulses rather than a moving paddle or wall, the wave shape has a reputation for reading more like a genuine ocean swell than some mechanical alternatives. At roughly 9 feet on the top setting this is not a novelty beginner pool: it can genuinely challenge experienced surfers.

Intermediate and advanced surfers get the most out of the upper wave configurations. Beginners are accommodated through the Gentle Wave zone and structured instruction sessions, but the real draw here is the larger, more technical programming. If you are an intermediate surfer working on turns in real power, or an advanced rider chasing air sections in a predictable, repeatable environment, the menu suits you well. It is also a logical addition if you are already traveling to Hainan for natural surf at the bay, given that the pool sits right next to China's main outdoor surf break.

The government-affiliated operator set a base session admission of 300 CNY (roughly 42 USD as of late 2025), which is deliberately affordable by international surf-park standards. Third-party booking agent Surfway Hainan lists tiered session prices at the PerfectSwell pool of 388 to 545 CNY depending on skill level: Beginner 398 CNY, Intermediate 388 CNY, Advanced 498 CNY, and Pro 545 CNY. Whether those Surfway prices reflect direct resort pricing or a booking-agent markup is not confirmed. Surf coaching and instruction are offered as part of sessions. Private session rentals are available in addition to public and learn-to-surf slots, all bookable online. Equipment rental on site includes boards (around 80 CNY for a basic hardtop per session per Surfway listings) and wetsuits (around 40 CNY). For context, even the upper-tier Pro session at 545 CNY is well below what most Western surf parks charge for a comparable time slot.

Many nationalities qualify for 30-day visa-free entry to Hainan under the island's free trade zone policy, which removes one significant planning headache. Pair pool time with sessions at the natural Riyue Bay break right next door: the bay gets consistent surf year-round and has a long-established local surf shop and lesson infrastructure. Hainan has a tropical climate, so there is no bad season for the pool, but the natural bay peaks in winter swells (November through March). Book pool sessions in advance online once the English booking interface is live. Third-party operator Surfway Hainan (surfway-hainan.com) appears to offer an English-friendly booking path as of the resort's opening, so check there if the resort's own site is Mandarin-only. The resort's two hotels together total 132 rooms, so on-site accommodation exists but book early during the inaugural season.