I came to Siargao to fulfill one thing in my Bucketlist - Learn some watersport. I was traveling around Visayas and Mindanao during my long Holiday Christmas vacation, started from Bohol Island and ended up in Siargao Island. And here is where I learned surfing.
“It’s like the mafia. Once you’re in, you’re in. There’s no getting out.”
It was life-changing.
And I wonder how come I was spending the rest of my life elsewhere. Here in Siargao is where the real cool people hang out. Foreigners call this home forever. This is where the local surfer dudes live with their beautiful young French or Russian girlfriends. Surprisingly, it’s the other way around here. The surfing mecca in Mindanao, a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea in the province of Surigao del Norte. Cloud 9 is the place to be, with a worldwide reputation for thick hollow tubes and one of the best known surfing waves in Siargao. And for the noobs like me, don’t you dare surf these waves yet. Or you die!
After enduring the 3 hour stormy boat ride from Surigao, seating on a hard bench of this over-sized banca with some tarp above to protect the passengers from heavy rain, I finally arrived. I took the motorbike taxi with roof and headed to the famous Cloud 9 to look for accommodation. I found the cheapest room in Ocean 101 resort for P500 a night. I was pretty sure I could still find some cheaper rooms in the neighborhood or some locals' place. But with the view of the crashing waves and the beautiful green scenery around, what else could I ask for. This is what happens when you have a job and you can splurge your salary for a mere 2 week vacation (sarcasm). No regrets.
Cloud 9 is not for the beginner, the whole beach stretch is a reef break. That means expect to get hurt here and there, blood and cuts on your hands and feet whenever you fall off the surfboard. The waves are crazy big but thank God there are some baby waves available for noobs just near Ocean 101 resort. I was a bit hesitant at first to try surfing because I was scared as usual. But this is what I came here for. I waited for a couple of hours for my instructor. And the fun began.
I could not count how many times I fell off the surfboard. I remembered my instructor saying that if one could not stand up, then he or she don't have to pay. But what a shame if other people did it and I could not. I did not give up. So I tried and tried, I did not care about the cuts, and bruises all over my body anymore. No guts, no glory. That moment, all I want was a chance to experience the whole ride.
I pushed myself upward once again, fighting the rushing waves below me. And very quickly I stood up and spread my legs for balance. I squatted a little bit and maintained this posture for a couple of seconds as the white water pushed me towards the shore. I was ecstatic. That moment I realized what those adrenaline junkies felt as they surf the waves. The rush. It was truly memorable. It was addicting. Right now I may not be as good as the others but from that moment on, I am still surfing.
Surfing is this hobby of these cool Siargao locals, I heard them one time saying, “it’s time to play”, in my language. This is what some young local girls with beautiful tanned bodies do after class or during class. Surf is life.
Surfing season is from April to October. The Siargao cup competition is one of the biggest international sporting events in the country held during late September or early October every year. You can go walk along the long wooden bridge of Cloud 9 and stay at the top to witness this momentous event.
What better way to celebrate New Year’s eve than to party with the surfers in this surfing paradise. The unforgettable Ocean 101’s buffet for the “Media Noche” with a few new-found friends completed my whole vacation. Club hopping afterwards with some travelers from all over the world, drinking and having fun as if it was our last night on earth. Life is a party.
Unfortunately my German friends failed to go with me to fulfill our island-hopping plan as promised. They came back to our guesthouse the next morning still drunk from New Year’s Eve partying, and spent their whole day sleeping.
Well there is my good Alice, a new friend who works in Ocean 101 and also my surfing instructor. She showed me around this laidback town on her motorbike. And just when I thought Siargao is only all about surfing, there’s this Magpupungko Beach with its amazing tidal pool and rock formations where children and some locals go cliff diving. Go rent a motorbike to explore the town or invite your friends to go with you for some island hopping.
My stay in Siargao gave me an alternative, a lifestyle I can choose should I get tired from traveling. This is the place where you want to live the eat-sleep-surf kind of life.
Home is where the waves are.
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