A host of delegates showed their support for the field of athletes during the Opening Ceremony before the decision was made to begin with the big air competition due to a low tide in the morning.

This was decided because waves are generally shaped better throughout the higher tide on Pingtan beach, which would be better suited to the requirements of the waveriding division.

Around 20 knots of wind provided a great platform for the big air riders to perform.

With an "over-all impression" format in use it was imperative that riders showed the judges a well-rounded approach to their heats in order to advance.

Round one in the men's competition saw Lewis Crathern of Great Britain, the Dominican Republic's Posito Martinez, Julien Kerneur of France and German Marius Hoppe all winning their respective heats.

Crathern, Martinez and Hoppe all reached the 80 point mark, out of a possible 100, with Martinez producing an impressive 88.3.

On the women's side of the big-air, local competitor Jingle Chen put on an artistic display in heat one to come in tied for first place with Chinese Taipei's Jia Lin Hou.

It was undoubtedly Bibiana Magaji of Slovakia though who stole the show, posting a 76.6.

Magaji produced a stunning performance including high jumps, boardoffs and big kiteloops to set her apart from the rest of the field.

As the tide came in so did the waves and the decision was made to put the big air on hold in favour of the waveriding discipline.

Riders were tested on not only their board skills but also on their ability to read and choose the correct wave to catch in order to maximise their scoring potential.

Brazilians Pedro Matoz and Filippe Ferreira, as well as Sebastian Ribeiro of France, all won their round one heats to advance straight to the semi-final round.

Over on the women's side the waves were largely dominated by both Ines Correira and Milla Ferreira, with the Portuguese and Brazilian duo progressing easily from their heats.

Jia, also competing in this event, came through the consolidation round to join Correira and Ferreira in the final tomorrow.