Sun, fun, surf and what Neptune teaches

Guo Shujuan, 33, China's top-class female surfer, is sure that the sport can improve one's personality.

"Regular surfing keeps you fit, lifts your confidence and awakens your spirit of adventure, and that helps people, especially females, to grow."

This year she initiated female surf camps in which women immerse themselves in local surfing culture in countries such as the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

"I could never get bored seeing the smiles plastered across women's faces as a wave propels them forward and think of how the experience will change them physically and mentally."

Guo, the first Chinese surfer to win an international women's long-board surfing competition, says surfers should think not only about how to master the board but also about the life philosophy they can learn from the sport.

Even veteran surfers have to wait in the water for a long time before they find a wave they can ride, she says, and even when a good wave appears the surfer needs to be well placed to be able to paddle out to catch it; otherwise the chance can be lost.

"You have to decide on which technique you will use on the board, depending on the movement of the waves. At this point, too, you have to remain calm and patient before the suitable waves roll toward you."

For her the best time to surf is at dawn.

"I sit on my surfboard alone and watch the glowing sphere slowly rise from below the horizon into the dull morning sky, and the colors of the water change as time passes by. That beautiful scene soothes my mind."