Few visitors to Chi these days realise that this tranquil island was one of the very first surfing spots to appear in Second Life. Created and still owned by Sally LaSalle, the island combines a mountainous Zen retreat (complete with active volcano, water features and a plunging waterfall) together with green areas, beaches and, of course, surfable waves. The Island of Chi was the proud host to the first ever SL surfing competition, the Namiko Pro in March 2007, and SL's first windsurfing competition too.
"Chi is special in many ways. It was designed to be a place to relax, express yourself, find yourself and to get a sense of the interconnectedness of everything and everyone," explains Sally. "Chi was one of the first surf sims in SL and the island encourages surfing and embraces the diversity and free spirited nature of the surfing community. Chi also promotes ecological awareness and bio-diversity and so we don't allow jet skis or other motor vehicles. Good for surfers: good for Chi."
Sally LaSalle at the pipeline wave break in Chi's sandy bay
Chi is a unique surfing location with three very different surf breaks. The largest, and most accomodating, is a 25 second pipeline run into a small bay. Both pipeline and ocean foam waves break from about 100 yards offshore and roll in across the whole width of the bay. The shoreline on both sides makes the surf more challenging and also provides a perfect venue for people to watch the action close up sitting on the beach, on the hills or on natural dunes around the water. Which is great if you manage to pull off a few tight pipeline turns and surf right into the shallows, but can be embarrasing sometimes wiping out and ending up stuck up on the dunes face down on your board!
There are two other breaks on Chi. Firstly a small patch of whitewater surf that comes in for about 50 yards onto the beach in front of the Chi Shopping Mall. Its a very small beach and so the waves are only about 40 yards across here (a good 15-20 yards narrower than in the bay). The more interesting break runs down the entire Eastern shoreline of the island or about 250 yards, but - and here's the catch - the fluffies are only a maximum of 20 yards across. This break is a real test of surfing skills and agility.
Chi's small ocean foam surf beach (left) and the long Eastern shore break (right)Zen Surfing is the motto at Chi and the island is the home base of Soul Surfers, founded by SLSA Hall of Fame inductee Kimmy Fitzgerald. Chi is also a VSA (Vibrations Surf Alliance) friendly sim and organises joint events with VSA on occasion (such as a weekly Friday surf night). The beach is completely free and open to anyone (as is the rest of the island) and surfers can rez their own boards. There are usually a few free boards around for public use. Board shops include SJA Custom Boards and Namiko in the island's shopping mall and a beach outlet selling a variety of boards and windsurfers.
Chi has a steady stream of surfing regulars and is a place where people come to surf, chill-out and spend some one-on-one time with a special someone. Many relationships and marriages have developed on Chi. Chi is also home to Bubbles the llama, Grace the turtle, plus eagles, giraffes and other free spirits of the land, sea and air.
SLURL: Chi
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