Greg Nolan thought he was the only surfer crazy enough to brave the big waves. Chunks of debris littered the murky waters creating an obstacle course. But through the mist he saw the silhouette of another figure advancing across the water.
“It was just after a typhoon … and it was really dangerous,” he said during an interview at Mahalo, a cafe and restaurant that offers stunning views of the breaking surf on Shanshui (山水) Beach, off the southwest coast off Penghu’s (澎湖) main island of Makung (馬公).
“I saw this other crazy guy out there … He was teaching himself … He’d been reading magazines and he had a board totally unsuitable for him. But he had a bag of guts … and the Aloha spirit,” Nolan said referring to the Hawaiian philosophy that encompasses kindness, tenderness and perseverance.
Nolan offered the intrepid novice, A-chuan (阿泉), surfing lessons. Word of the classes soon spread on the base where A-chuan was doing his military service, and a business was born.
“When I brought surfing here, people said, ‘you are crazy, you are in the wrong place — you forgot the sail,’” Nolan quipped, referring to Penghu’s reputation as a windsurfing destination.
Four years later and Nolan’s surf business, which began with a few surf boards stored in the back of a VW Van, later a rusty tin shack, is today housed in a sleek, though somewhat cramped, modern building attached to Mahalo and a guesthouse (minsu, 民宿) on the beach’s main drag.
The 54-year-old Australian has been surfing for more than three decades, eight years of which were spent touring the world’s top surfing destinations as a professional surf photographer.
After a divorce, the civil engineer decided to completely change his life and he returned to school to become a teacher. Nolan intended to take up a post in China, but a student suggested he try Taiwan instead because, “the women are prettier and the food is nicer.”
Nolan said that similar to Kenting (墾丁) and Ilan, Penghu’s beaches are ideal for surfing.
“Outside here in the summer,” he said pointing past the rows of colorful longboards lined up inside his surf shop, “we have near-perfect waves, half a day, every day. They may not be the biggest, but the water is clean, it’s uncrowded and there is no hype.”
The lack of attitude is arguably what makes Shanshui attractive to beginners and, Nolan said, contrasts with the competitive spirit found in Australia where the vibe “is like ‘you’re not good enough to surf here [so] you surf at that end of the beach.’”
Having established himself on Penghu and gambling that it has potential to become a surfing destination, Nolan has his sights set on a new project. Plans have already been drawn up for a factory to produce custom-made boards during the winter when the wind makes surfing prohibitively difficult.
“We eventually want to make all boards by hand, based on the customers’ personal characteristics,” he said.
Though Penghu is unpretentious compared to more famous surfing destinations, Nolan says it still has a ways to go before it encapsulates the true Aloha spirit.
“Taiwanese have discovered surfing in the last 10 years. They’ve discovered the end of it — the shiny bit. They haven’t completely found out the Aloha spirit yet,” he said. “That comes over the years.”
For complete details on Surf Club's surfboard rentals, lessons and contact information, visit www.taiwansurftours.com/penghu.
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