Baler in Aurora is home to the annual Aurora Surfing Cup. It is steeped in history, serving as the birthplace of former President Manuel L. Quezon. However, besides the historical background that attracts the tourists to come here, Baler Bay has become one of the adventure surfing getaways for those living in Metro Manila.
Whether you are a surfer hobbyist or just want to experience going-with-the-waves, Baler Bay is the right spot for you.
2D/1N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Budget Package A
(Surfing Lessons)
2D/1N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Budget Package B
(Surfing Lessons and Countryside Tour)
3D/2N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Budget Package
(Surfing Lessons and Countryside Tour)
Contents:
- Surfing in Baler Bay, Aurora
- Aurora Surfing Cup
- When to go
- Surfing spots in Baler Bay
- Other Tourist Attractions of Baler
Surfing in Baler Bay, Aurora
This totally unexploited coastal town by the Sierra Madre Mountains in the northeast of Luzon carved its own popularity in the movie, “Apocalypse Now” scene “Charlie don’t surf!”
Nestling in the east coast of Aurora Province, Baler is physically unattached from the rest of the Philippines. To get there takes 6 hours by four-wheeled-drive vehicle and passing through rough roads in the mountains down to the bay of Baler. The ride can be exhausting but getting there promises a remarkable view of surf all over the stretching brown beach of the bay. The town faces the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean, which gives it the surf that it is renowned for.
Surfing in Aurora is limited by your access to the sites that are there. For perfect surf you need not look to far, but should you want to hire a banca and do some exploring.
The Aurora Surfing Cup is an annual surfing competition held in Baler. The Cup was first held in September 1997. It is a three-day competition with several different events and an open-to-all surfing clinic.
The Cup has four event divisions: Open Surfing Division, Youth Division, Grommet Division and Bodyboard Division. Competitors in the Open Surfing Division are seeded according to the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) format. The events take place on the beaches of Sabang and Cemento.
The format of competition is as follows: In each division, the participants are divided into heats for the qualification rounds. Each heat is given 20 minutes to ride ten waves, the best three out of ten scored. Two points are taken off one’s score for every wave taken over the maximum of ten. The top two scorers of each heat go to the quarterfinal round. The same format of competition is used in all subsequent rounds.
From mid- September to early March, the North-East Monsoon blows down from China. This is the best surf season. The hot months of April through early June bring a relatively calm sea breeze. During this time, the waves are small and are ideal for snorkeling, windsurfing and diving.
This right handed reef break is not for the beginner. It is about a 45 minute walk south of Baler, or the easy option is to catch a banca to the reef, about 10 minutes. Cemento Reef can cope well with big swell and if you are game and experienced a nice 4.5 metre barrel will greet you. You will find that Cemento is usually the spot for the annual Aurora Surfing Cup.
Charlie’s Point breaks both left and right and is a sand bottom. It is where Apocalypse Now was filmed. A nice easy walk from Baler.
Found north of Baler, Lindy’s Point was created when the mouth of Baler Bay was opened up to prevent floods during the wet season. The actual break runs left and right.
The wave here is seasonal. The waves arrive during the months of October to February and are great for first time surfers. As the swell gets bigger more experienced riders can have an absolute ball. It breaks on sand and is a left and right pleasing both natural footers and goofy’s alike.
Other Tourist Attractions of Baler
Surfing is not the only activity you can do at Baler. You can also explore the historical sites inside it and experience what it’s like turning back the time during the Spanish-occupation era. We listed the interesting sites below which you can include to your itinerary:
- Baler Church – (famous for the Siege of Baler in 1898-1899 between the Philippine Revolutionary forces and Spanish troops during the Philippine Revolution and Spanish-American War) The original structure was destroyed in the Battle of Baler in 1945 between the Philippine Commonwealth troops and the Japanese Imperial forces during World War II)
- Quezon Park – (The birthplace of President Manuel L. Quezon)
- Dicaloyungan Picnic Zone
- Ermita Hill
- Aniao Islets
- Cemento Beach
- Dicasalarin Beach
2D/1N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Adventure Package A
2D/1N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Adventure Package B
2D/1N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Budget Package A
2D/1N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Budget Package B
3D/2N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Adventure Package
3D/2N experienceBaler Bay Surfing Budget Package
