18 September 2026, Dongsha Beach, Zhoushan, China: The 4th annual Dongsha Open of Surfing is all set to start tomorrow morning at beautiful Dongsha Beach in the province of Zhoushan, China, a few hour’s drive from the city of Shanghai.
The swell is on the rise, the sun is shining, and a field of international and national competitors has been out warming up in the glassy 1-2 foot perfect for logging conditions all day in preparation for a 7:30 am start tomorrow.
The forecast for the next two day is looking very positive, with slight increases in size each day of the 2 day contest, with favorable wind conditions being predicted as well.
For the Asian ProAm Surf Series (APSS) Men’s and Women’s Longboard division, there is a total of $5,000 USD up for grabs split between the two divisions, and a $2,500 USD prize pool for the new Weekend Warrior Division that has replaced last year’s Shortboard Division.
This has been created for those locals and residents who are recreational surfers but want to experience competition in a low key fun type setting.
Photo Credits: Asian Surf Co / Tim Hain
Returning to defend their titles are Indonesian siblings Dhany Widianto and Dhea Natasya, who ultimately became the overall winners of the inaugural 2025-26 APSS season. Other competitors from France, Spain, Korea, India, and Hong Kong as well as from around China have arrived to enjoy the waves, camaraderie, and entertainment that has been planned by the City Surfer team, for what promises to be an epic weekend.
An afternoon opening meeting was held at 4 pm, where Terry Chen from City Surfer welcomed all the participants, and then a video presentation from event sponsor Saraya followed, and finally a competitors briefing by the ASC Technical team that included a review of the judging criteria and priority rules, and gave everyone an opportunity to ask questions to ensure all are clear on tomorrow’s proceedings.
The competitors were informed that they should be at the beach and ready to go at 7:30 am, for a scheduled 8 am start. Likely the Weekend Warriors will be the first to see action, which will see a few heats run until approximately 9:30, when there is an opening ceremony at 10 am where the local government dignitaries will officially start things off.
To keep updated on the competition schedule and to check the heat draws, click this link for Live Heats at: https://liveheats.com/events/536000
As this event is part of the new ASC Ecosystem, competitors who have registered as ASC members will earn points on the new Asian Ranking System (ARS) for their Longboard Division results.
For any questions and further information about the Dongsha Open you may contact:
CITY SURFER
Email: zhoukaiyuan@citysurfer.cn
WeChat: CitySurferCN
Phone: +86-17857679909
or
ASIAN SURF COOPERATIVE
Contact: Alex Hontoria
Email: alex@asiansurf.co
Phone/WA: +34 608 48 20 50
About the Asian ProAm Surf Series (APSS):
The Asian ProAm Surf Series is a progressive Asian-wide competition initiative designed to support and elevate surfing development by bridging the gap between grassroots level events and global platforms; assisting talented surfers develop into professional athletes and offering traveling and adventure surfers an opportunity to surf new places, meet new people, and join in fun events that are officially sanctioned by the longest running surfing organization in Asia, the Asian Surf Cooperative. See more on IG @asiansurfco and at www.asiansurf.co
About City Surfer Surf Club:
City Surfer opened the first surf shop and surf school at Dongsha Beach in 2021, and has since been putting great effort into building one of the best surf communities in China. Dongsha Beach has a sand bottom, making it friendly for all levels of surfers, and it gets decent swell virtually all year long, but with best surf conditions from May – November due to the most favorable water and air temperatures. And it’s only 4 hours from Shanghai, allowing those city dwellers to drive out on weekends or holidays to come and get their surfing fix. See more on IG @citysurfercn
About Zhoushan:
Zhoushan is an archipelago with 2,085 islands, located at the intersection of the East China coastline and the golden waterway of the Yangtze River, backed by the Yangtze River Delta and rich in marine tourism resources, making it the first choice for marine tourism in East China. Dongsha on Zhujaijain Island is a national 4A level scenic area across the bay from Putuo Mountain, and with its unique conditions makes it the best surfing spot in East China.
About Liveheats:
Liveheats is a digital platform that powers competitive action sporting events – from local clubs to professional world tours. The platform is designed to empower sporting communities, event organisers, and athletes by providing powerful competition features built for modern action sports. See more at www.liveheats.com and on IG @live_heats