HONG KONG TEAM IN RIGHT PLACE TO POLISH SURF SKILLS

THE experience of a lifetime is looming for the Hong Kong Surf Lifesaving Society team after they touched down on the Gold Coast yesterday.

Training over the next week at Surfers Paradise, Kurruwa and other beaches, the group will learn a wide range of skills they have few chances to practice in Hong Kong.

Having started off teaching himself through YouTube videos, coach William Lee said he was excited for his team to push themselves.

“We have similar (conditions) but we have to wait for typhoons, which are quite dangerous, but in the Gold Coast the waves come daily like this,” he said.

“Some of them are very new to the sport, so we would like for them to at least challenge all of their work.”

After Mr Lee reached out to him through social media, former ironman Phil Clayton stepped in to coach the team, and said he would be putting them through their paces.

“We’ve got rough conditions, we’re going to go to Currumbin where we’ve got nice easy rolling conditions, we’re going to do river sessions so it’s flat,” he said. “It’s all about having fun but showing these guys that not every condition’s going to be the same.”

Joining Mr Clayton will be other surf lifesaving heroes including legends Ryan Hoffman and Simon Harris.

The team will be representing Hong Kong at the Lifesaving World Championships in Adelaide this November.