Hong Kong is kicking surfers off its famed beaches. But many ask why now?

Sports instructor James* has chased the swells at Hong Kong’s Big Wave Bay Beach nearly every morning since moving to the nearby village three years ago specifically for its easy ocean access.

“It’s a very rare thing in our life, especially in the city of Hong Kong, which is very busy, to stop and actually experience and enjoy living in the moment, which is what happens when you catch a wave,” he said. “You have to forget about [the] before and after.”

But James, like other surfers, has recently felt unwelcome at his local beach, prized as the city’s top destination for the sport for decades.

“There’s been a bit more interference from the lifeguards towards surfers and people trying to surf,” he said. “For us surfers, what’s most confusing is we are not sure why. We haven’t really been given clarification or information about this.”

While the government has never allowed surfing at public beaches, saying it risks endangering swimmers, the ban was never heavily enforced. At least three shops in Big Wave Bay have been renting out surfboards for decades, and surfers have long been a common sight at beaches with big swells.

But then in June, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department took the step of putting up new signs stating “no surfing” in English and Chinese, adding to the collection of notices and banners already listing the rule.