19 April 2026 – Lower Cheung Sha, Lantau Island, Hong Kong: The International Surfing Association (ISA) Surf Instructor Level 1 and Aquatic Rescue courses wrapped up yesterday at the Longcoast Seasports Lower Cheung Sha location, with 8 participants completing the 6 day program that included both classroom and beach/water instruction, followed by 20 practical hours of training under the direction of the ISA Presenter.
Organized and sponsored by Longcoast Seasports in collaboration with the ISA and the Asian Surf Cooperative, this program was originally envisioned as being just for the staff but owner Leo Chan also ended up inviting several other local waterman to join as well.
“This has been such a great experience, thanks to Jonni, Tim, and the ISA for organizing it with us,” said Chan. “I really believe the ISA structure and curriculum is the best, so that’s why I wanted to train myself and my instructors with the ISA program. I took the courses myself along with my instructors and the others, and we all learned so much. Before, although I felt that our teaching was good, now we learned so much more that I didn’t even expect, so now I feel that we are the best, and this will really be good for our watersports business.”
Chan’s head surf instructor is Roderick “Manoy” Bazar, who is from Borongan in the Philippines and has worked for Chan for 6 years now. When asked what he felt was the most important thing he learned over the 6 days course, he replied, “Wow, I learned so much that I didn’t know before, especially important to me was the water safety and rescue techniques. As a surf instructor, we are always at the beach and often see people in trouble like getting caught in rip tides, so learning how to properly call for help, rescue them, perform CPR, and save them. I’ve had experience with having to do rescues before, but now learning all the steps and practicing makes me a lot more confident now.”
One of the students during the practical training was Leo Chan’s daughter, 13 year old Sharon, and this was her first time ever to try surfing. “I felt really happy about my learning experience today…in only the first hour I already had the knowledge of how to properly surf, then I got to catch a wave and stand up all on my own. So now I need to do is practice, which I plan on doing from now on”, said Sharon.
At the close of the last day of training, ISA Presenter Jonni Morrison-Deaker was very pleased with the performance of all the instructors, and spoke very highly of them, saying, “I’m not only impressed by this amazing place with white sand beaches and such natural beauty so close to the big city of Hong Kong, but what really made my time here special was the performance of the participants, a nice mix of the young passionate surfers from the Philippines and some old school surfers who’ve been surfing for 30 years or so. I felt like I wasn’t really teaching them anything new, just how to teach it in a different and more efficient way. Super impressive, and I don’t say this lightly, I think it was the best group I’ve ever coached doing this program. Props to them for making it a very memorable week!”
Morrison-Deaker is the owner of the Rip Curl School of Surf in Bali and brings over 30 years of experience in surfing, sailing, kiting, SUP, and foiling. He has served as an ISA Presenter in Asia since 2016.
Founded in 1964, the International Surfing Association (ISA) is the recognized global authority for surfing and all wave-riding disciplines, including SUP racing and surfing, para-surfing, and bodysurfing. With member federations in 116 countries, the ISA is widely respected for its commitment to high-quality technical training and safety.