Most surf trips are planned around other people: the friend with the car, the partner who wants a beach, the crew that has to agree on a week. A solo surf trip skips all of that — and the hard parts of surfing alone, the unfamiliar break, the locals, the empty days when the swell does not show, mostly disappear at a wave pool. At the PerfectSwell® wave pool at Riyue Bay in Wanning, Hainan — the world’s only wave pool on a tropical island — one surfer can book a session, walk from the room to the deck, and ride a wave built for their level. This is how to do it on your own.
Why a wave pool suits the solo surfer
Surfing alone in the ocean at an unfamiliar spot is a gamble. You arrive knowing nobody, you do not know where the rips run or where the peak really is, the lineup already has its pecking order, and if the forecast lies you have flown a long way to sit on the sand. None of that is a reason not to go — but it is why so many solo trips end up with less surfing than planned.
A wave pool takes the gamble out. Every session runs on a fixed schedule, on a single wave setting matched to your level, whatever the ocean is doing. Waves are shared one surfer per wave, so there is no jostling for position and no pecking order to learn — your turn comes around, the wave arrives on cue, and you ride it. The surfers around you are all at the same level, which makes the lineup the easiest place on the trip to start a conversation. And the coaches on the deck are a few metres away rather than a paddle across the bay. If you have been putting off a surf trip because nobody else could come, this is the one to take alone. The PerfectSwell explainer covers how the settings work.
How sessions work when you are on your own
You do not need a group to surf here. A public session is a 55-minute block on one wave setting, sold per surfer, so booking for one is exactly the same as booking for six. The published rate board starts at CNY 328 for Beginner, CNY 388 for Intermediate and CNY 498 for Advanced, a little higher on peak-calendar dates; the full breakdown is on the rates page. Tell us your level and we match each session to it, and the surf calendar shows which settings run on which days.
Coaching for one — or for four
Surfing solo is the best excuse there is to book coaching. A private one-on-one hour gives you a coach who watches every wave you take — ideal if you have a single goal for the trip, like a first green wave or a real cutback. A group clinic caps at four surfers per coach, and for a solo traveller it doubles as a social session: you share corrections, watch each other’s rides and usually end up at the same café table afterwards. Coaching starts from CNY 228 per person per hour, and our surf coaching guide explains each format.
Footage without a friend on the beach
The one thing a solo surfer usually goes home without is a photo of themselves surfing. Here that is solved: photo and video can be added per surfer, per session, from CNY 200, and video analysis can be added to any coached session. You get the footage and the notes, and you did not have to hand your phone to a stranger.
Boards and gear
Travelling alone usually means travelling light. The on-site rental quiver covers soft tops, longboards, mid-lengths and performance shortboards matched to each wave setting, and the surf shop carries fins, wax, leashes and rash guards — so you can land with a carry-on and still surf the right board.
Where to stay when you travel alone
The surf hotel sits inside the pool grounds, and for a solo surfer that is the whole point: no taxis to organise, no car to rent, no walking back alone at night. Rooms, breakfast, the café and the water are about a minute apart on foot. The ground-level Surfyard Room walks straight out onto the deck, which suits anyone planning two sessions a day; Garden View is the best value that is still a minute from the waves. Our surf hotel guide compares every room type, and the accommodation page has the photos.
Our packages are built around two people sharing a room, so if you are travelling alone, say so when you get in touch and we will quote the stay and the sessions for one.
A four-night solo surf trip
Four nights is the sweet spot for a first trip alone: enough sessions to see real progress, one slow day to recover and explore, and flights that make it easy — direct from Sydney and Melbourne to Haikou, or via Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Seoul into Haikou (HAK) or Sanya (SYX).
Sample solo surf trip · 4 nights
Filling the days between sessions
Two sessions a day is plenty, which leaves hours to fill. The surf café on the deck is where solo surfers end up between sessions — coffee, shade and the pool in front of you. Beyond the grounds, Wanning rewards a day off the board: rainforest waterfalls, Li villages and brocade weaving, Xinglong’s coffee plantations, the morning market, and a coastline with its own ocean surf when the swell is up. The rest-day guide and the food page have the details. Golfers travelling alone can add a round at The Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula, the best links course in China, or Blackstone at Mission Hills Haikou, laid across black lava fields — see golf in Hainan.
Practicalities for travelling alone
- Visa: Hainan’s 30-day visa-free entry covers passport holders from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada and many other countries. We confirm your eligibility when you book.
- Getting there: a private car meets you at Haikou or Sanya, timed to your flight, so you never have to negotiate a taxi on arrival. The getting here guide covers the routes.
- Phones and payments: sort your eSIM and Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly — our China travel tips take twenty minutes to work through.
- One number for everything: English-language trip support on WhatsApp from the day you book to the day you leave — session changes, dinner tips, transport, anything. Your sessions are confirmed before you land.
Start planning
Send your dates, your level and how many sessions you want to hello@surfchina.co or WhatsApp +8613893402173, or start on the booking page. New to surfing? Read the beginner’s guide first. Bringing someone after all? Browse the packages, or keep reading the Surf China Journal.
