Hong Kong surf instructor sparks controversy for riding waves during Storm Wipha

Hong Kong issued the level 8 warning for average winds of 63 km/h or more on July 20, and at one point even raised it to the highest level of 10.

Despite this, Go Surf HK, a business that "provides professional ISA surfing lessons", announced a 20% discount for those who sign up for classes while the level 10 warning was in effect, the South China Morning Post reported.

The company insists the promotion does not apply to the lessons on July 20 to ensure safety.

"Apply for surfing classes before typhoon signal 10 is cancelled and enjoy 20% off," the promotional post said. "The bigger the wave, the better it gets."

An earlier version of the Instagram post wrote: "If you play T10 you get a discount."

An instructor from the company posted photos and videos, claiming to be surfing at Pui O Beach, Lantau Island.

The move was met with immediate backlash from netizens and the surfing community.

"Surfing during level 10 storm signal is absolutely insane," said a local surfer. "It shows a complete lack of respect for the power of the ocean. And with the current pressure from the government to ban surfing, it's adding to the stress for those who love and teach surfing responsibly."

"The storm is so close to the land and the coast that the waves and winds can change suddenly," another local surfer said. "Things can escalate quickly, the waves and winds can get crazy. In ideal conditions, you can surf if the storm is in the open ocean, passing about 600 km from land, with maximum wind speeds of 120 to 160 km/h."

A storm signal of 10, the highest warning level, means that winds of 118 km/h or more are expected. The last time Hong Kong issued a storm signal of 10 was in 2023, during Super Typhoon Saola, which injured 86 people, caused landslides and toppled thousands of trees.