Surfing

Surfing has become a culture, a way of life.

It is about the love of surfing, the hunt for great waves and the freedom of the ocean. Today, surfers come from all walks of life.  All looking for that one perfect wave.

Why the Philippines.

With 7,107 islands, the roaring Pacific Ocean bordering the eastern coastline and the South China Sea on the western coastline and attracting more typhoons than most neighboring countries, Philippines surfing is alive and well.

Not long ago, Philippine coasts were basically fishing villages characterized with strips of rugged and untouched beaches covered with rolling waves roughly sweeping its coastlines. When surfing came into daily activities of villagers, the sport became a hype; pushing more juveniles to partake into it. Major destinations like Siargao pulled surfers from around the globe, but, undiscovered coasts where there are even bigger surfs like Samar, remained unpacked by visiting surfers.

The Philippines, although known for its enormous waves brought by its tropical winds, remained an unpopulated yet an exciting surfing destination in the world.

With the arrival of this sport and the excitement it brings, locals are adapting fast on advance styles and techniques. Before heading to these surfing destinations, be aware that most of these places might not have equipments or boards for rent.

When to go.

Philippines surfing can be both temperamental and seasonal, it is important to know when the best time to come is or you may be disappointed.  And it varies depending on the location.  However, the best time would be from July to November, when surfing competitions across the archipelago are mostly held

You can either surf the east coast or the west coast. The east coast probably gets the better surf.

How do I get started.

For beginners, surf lessons are available in limited locations.  Click here for the packages.  Please take note that certain locations only have locals to serve as instructors. They would not be that fluent in English but they can easily converse in that language.

For surfers, you have two options.  The first would be to go to the established surfing destinations wherein there are surf shops operating in that area.  Surfboards and other proper facilities are available.  Your choices include La Union, Baler Bay, Siargao Island, Samar and Zambales.

The next option, and more adventurous one would be to go to the newly discovered surfing hotspots.  Here, roads and infrastructures would be underdeveloped and possible accommodations would be away from the beach.  Surf guides would be needed to bring you to surf spots but waves could be awesome.  Choices include: Catanduanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Samar, Vigan and Camarines Norte.  

La Union

This coastal province at the Northwest of Luzon has a series of beach breaks for beginners and occasional challenging point breaks for skilled surfers. It is the closest spot from Manila, just a few hours drive and has a pleasant atmosphere even for beach combing. Surfs in La Union have standard line up of 100m from shore. Waves starts at 1 m and can swell up to 4-6ft. Waves can close out after a strong typhoon.

When to go.

The season which has two parts, quite unique for the Philippines, spans from July to October, waves are not nearly as consistent and from November to February, this is when the waves are bigger and more consistent due to the typhoon season providing bigger waves.

The surf is great for both novice and experienced riders alike and is never crowded, a good range of sites ensures this.

Where to go.

Darigayos
This site is located out of the bay and would have to be the most consistent break around. You can always be guaranteed a right hander when all else is failing.

Poro Point
You can often see the waves breaking off the point onto the rocks, not the easiest to get to, in fact I’m not sure if you are allowed to travel in that area, maybe someone in the know can drop me a line.

The Point
Nice easy waves off the Monaliza Resort, by far the most popular surfing spot in La Union. Produces both lefts and rights, so it keeps both naturals and goofy’s happy.

Urbitztondo Beach Break
The wave works both right and left with the left being the longer ride over a sand bottom.

Other spots
There are numerous other spots littered up and down the coast from San Fernando. Waves can be caught on the coast from Tabok, Bacnotan, Cabaroan and also south of San Fernando off the airport and depending on time of year right down to Bauang.

Baler Bay, Quezon, Aurora Province

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.

Aurora Surfing Cup

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.

When to go.

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.

Where to go.

Cemento Reef
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
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.

Lindy’s Point
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.

Sabang Beach
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.
 


Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte


 
Siargao surfing is an island off the north eastern tip of Mindanao, which is in the south east of the Philippine Archipelago.

The eastern coastline faces directly out into the Pacific Ocean. Just off Siargao Island lies the Philippine Trench which gets to a depth of 10,057 metres! So you can imagine what happens when the swell hits the island.

Siargao, which many surfers asserted to have the most consistent waves in the Philippines, made an impressive entry into the surfing world. It has been heralded as one of the best surfing destinations in the planet. This highly recognized breaks commonly known as Cloud 9 has been reputed best single breaks in the Philippines and all over Asia. Due to the island’s thriving development, more resorts have sprung up and surfers from all over the world have became a common sight.

Siargao surfing is known throughout the world as a first class quality break. Which is reflected in the fact that Siargao surfing now has an International competition every October.

When to go.

The season here starts in April till mid- November.  During the months of August to October the surf can be big and its best for experienced surfers.  During May to July, the surf is usually small and quite suited to beginners.

Where to go.

Cloud Nine
Cloud Nine has put Philippines surf on the world directory, it is a high quality wave for experienced surfer only. It is predominantly a right-hander but does have a small left as well. The wave itself is hollow and extremely powerful reef break, if you get it wrong you will land on the shallow reef. Cloud Nine can get to over three metres.

Stimpy’s
Stimpy’s is a left-hander for all the goofy’s out there. It can be a quite long ride following the reef into a small bay. Accessible only by boat, worth the effort though.

Jacking Horse
This is a wave that jacks up out of the blue and hits the reef with a fair bit of vengeance. Once past the reef it reforms on the inside of the reef to produce a nice right-hander. Good wave from about one metre up.

Pacifico
This is a goofy footers dream wave. A quality left hander that rides long. A beautiful barrel, located north of Pilar.

Rock Island
For a wave to test your ability look know further than Rock Island. This right-hander breaks on a rocky reef wrapping around a small rock island. It is fast, hollow and an extremely long ride.

There are numerous other breaks that work during the season, like elsewhere in the Philippines, if you do a little exploring you may find your own perfect break.



Samar


Samar is an island in the Eastern Visayas, on the eastern side of the Philippine archipelago. It is wedged between the island of Luzon to the north and the island of Leyte to the south.  The San Bernardino Strait and the San Juanico Strait separate Samar from Luzon and Leyte respectively.

To the east lies the Pacific Ocean and to the west is the Samar Sea.

If you want to explore and surf some locations that perhaps have never been surfed before, then Samar surfing is the place for you. All you need to bring with you is a bit of time and adventure and you may find your very own idyllic break with no one to drop in on you and annoy you.

Be ready for an impressive surfing trip in the rugged coastlines of these two islands and experience their great unsurfed waves on earth. Long neglected by the surfing world, these islands’ stretching coastlines have waves that are undeniably wonderful. But before going, be aware that these places are mostly remote or simply depressed areas. Settlements are few and boats for coastal cruising may not be available right away. It is advisable to find a local guide for easier interaction and take their advice regarding safety precautions. Be sure you have everything you need especially first aid equipments and as much as possible a group to travel with.

When to go.

The Samar surfing season is generally accepted as being from September to early March, the larger and more consistent waves arrive during the North East Monsoon or if there is a typhoon off the coast it will really push the swell up.

Where to go.

The better known sites in Samar are centered around Borongan which is situated toward the south of the east coast of Samar. Surfing sites include:

Pirates Cove
It has been named Pirates Cove as the site is located directly in front of the Pirates Cove Resort, so you shouldn’t have to many problems locating it. The break itself is a left hander and is mainly from experienced surfers as it sucks up on to a coral reef.

The Boulevard
The Boulevard is a beach break north of Borongan.

Guiuan
Guiuan is a small town at the southern most tip of Samar. Can be quite a challenging reef break and really only for the adventurous and experienced.



Zambales Province


 
Zambales is a province on the west coast of Luzon north of Manila. Zambales is part of the Central Luzon Region or Region 3.

It is bordered to the west by the South China Sea, hence the surf action. To the north is the province of Pangasinan in the Ilocos Region, to the east is Pampanga and Tarlac provinces and to the south is the province of Bataan.

The opportunities for surfing in Zambales are enormous. The entire coastline offers adventurous surfers many possible surfing breaks.

When to go.

During the months of June to November the surf is probably at is most consistent, not necessarily it’s biggest but definitely you will get more consistent waves. The period from December to April requires a lot more help from mother nature, usually in the form of a low depression in the South China Sea, which can whip the swell up to three or four metres. This is a big powerful swell and requires a good level of experience.

Where to go.

Crystal Beach Break, San Narciso
This wave is located directly in front of the Crystal Beach Resort at San Narciso which is just about the first coastal spot on the way from Olongapo. The surf here breaks both left and right on a sand bank and is a real fun wave suitable for all levels with particular interest for beginner surfers. Be aware the surf can get quite big here under the right conditions.

High 5 Lahar, San Narciso
High 5 Lahar is also in San Narciso at the Macolcol River mouth. It is a great wave that can always be relied upon when all else appears doomed. The break is formed on the Lahar rather than the sand bottom. The Lahar is a by product of the eruption of mount Pinatubo in 1991.

Capones Island
Capones Island can be accessed by banca from the town of Pundaquit. There are a number of breaks on the island which are all reef breaks and should be surfed with a level of caution and experience. On its day can be heaps of fun!

Other Spots
If you see something that looks promising, don’t be afraid to get out and have a look, the entire area is an opportunity for adventurous surfers. Iba the capital of Zambales has some real nice waves as well.



Catanduanes



As an island directly lying in the course of Pacific typhoons, Catanduanes is popularly regarded as “Land of the howling winds”. Its famous Majestic wave which crashes the shores of the island from the depths of the Pacific Ocean is known worldwide. This break on to an offshore reef 200m from Puraran Bay is known to be unpredictable but once present, it kicks off one of the fastest, right-handed and the hollowest wave of more than 6 ft. Beginners should be aware that this wave can sweep you closer to the reef. Thus be always prepared to experience cuts and scratches.

Catanduanes gets hit by more than it’s fair share of typhoons, it also has the highest annual rainfall in the Philippines.

The whole island is quite breathtaking with mountains touching powdery white beaches, even if you don’t surf it is pretty easy to lose yourself within the beauty here.

When to go.

Best to go is between July to October for an average 5-10ft comes out between. November and early December breaks come in 10-15ft. Jan and Feb has smaller waves.

Some spots that are ideal for less-experience surfers are Coconut Point, Twin rocks near Igang, Morning Point and Rocky Point.

To the north east of the capital, the Majestics at Puraran Bay is where most of the action takes place.

It should be noted that surfing here is for the more experienced surfer.
NOTE: Available accommodations are away from the surf spots.  Surf guides that will bring you to hotspots can be easily arranged.



Badoc Island, Ilocos Norte Province

 

Your will find Badoc Island in the province of Ilocos Norte. Badoc town is the southern most town in the province and is about 40 kms south of Laoag City. The town of Badoc lies wedged between the Killago mountain range to the east and the South China Sea to the west.

Badoc Island and the Ilocos Norte province is on the north western coastline of the main island of Luzon. The actual island is not particularly large and sits roughly a kilometer off the town of Badoc.

When to go.

The best time for surfing is during the October to early March period. This is when the surf is at its best, mainly due to the seasonal typhoons and low depression systems out in the South China Sea. You can also get some waves during July to September, but not all the surf breaks will catch the swell. The rest of the year can be a bit of a lottery

One thing can be guaranteed though, the breaks will not be crowded, in fact you may find yourself all alone!

Where to go.

Badoc Island Lefts
This is a goofy footers dream wave. The wave can get as higher than 3 metres and still be ridden. Bigger waves here tend to close out.

Badoc Point
Nice and close break to the Badoc Island Resort. This break can get pretty powerful, you can surf it up to about 2.5 metres.

Star Tubes
This is a 1 – 2 metre left hander, which moves real fast. Good fun wave, don’t miss it.

Turtle Head Rights
The swell hits a shallow reef and can really get big on you. The wave does not lose form up to about 3 metres. It is more consistent around two metres.

There are plenty of other spots around, all you have to do is search, you will more than likely have one of the breaks all to yourself.

NOTE: Available accommodations are away from the surf spots.  Surf guides that will bring you to hotspots can be easily arranged.



Vigan, Ilocos Sur Province

 

Vigan is the capital city of the Ilocos Sur province and is found in the Ilocos Region or Region 1.

It is situated on the north western coastline of Luzon and has it’s western boundary as the South China Sea. It is about 408 kilometres north of Manila, 130 kilometres north of San Fernando, La Union and about 80 kilometres south of Laoag in Ilocos Norte.

Vigan is serviced by numerous jeepney’s and trikes. Also a must do is to take a ride on the traditional Calesas which are the horse drawn cart, which is kind of unique in Vigan and fits in with Vigan’s architectural Spanish roots.

As is typical with surfing in the Philippines, the consistency and quality is extremely fickle. On it’s day you will not be disappointed in fact you will not have to share the waves with too many others.

Vigan city has a lot to offer if the surf is not working or dare I say it if you need a break from the crowd less breaks. Vigan city is the only colonial town in the Philippines, it’s culture and heritage is laid before you around every corner, with Spanish architecture represented in churches, houses and government buildings. A tour of the city is a good distraction.

When to go.

Surfing season here is from August to January.

Where to go.

Manangat
This is considered on of the longest rides in Vigan. It works best after a typhoon has been in action in the South China Sea and can whip up a great wave.

Nalvo, Santa Maria
Santa Maria is south of Vigan it has a great little reef break that provides consistent good waves.

Other sites
There are numerous sites both north and south of Vigan, use your imagination and do a bit of exploring. A lot of the coastline can be seen from the highway. You can catch waves from Santo Domingo, Magsingal, San Juan, Cabugao and Sinait. By now you are almost at Badoc Island.

NOTE: Available accommodations are away from the surf spots.  Surf guides that will bring you to hotspots can be easily arranged.



Daet, Camarines Norte Province

 

Daet is in the province of Camarines Norte, which can be found to the south of Manila and is the capital. Camarines Norte is the most northern province of Bicol Region.

You will find the province in the southern part of Luzon. It shares borders to the south and west with Camarines Sur and Quezon provinces, to the east is San Miguel Bay and to the north is the mighty Pacific Ocean.

When to go.

The best time to go would be from June to November, the southwest "Habagat" monsoon.

Where to go.

Bagasbas Beach
Being the easiest break to get to makes Bagasbas Beach, the surf spot of choice for most surfers visiting the area. The surf here breaks left and right on a sand bar, it is ideal for beginners and experienced surfers alike.

San Jose
This is another beach break, with nice left and right handers. A bit further out than Bagasbas Beach, but after traveling 350 kilometres on a bus to get here, another nine odd kilometers beyond Bagasbas Beach is know big deal.

The River Mouth
This break is at Mercedes, if you are nice and early, what surfer isn’t, check out the fish market which is open from 06:00am to 8:00am. It is nice reef break but be prepared for a lengthy paddle, your best bet is to hire a banca.

Tong’s Point
A lot of effort is required to get to Tong’s. Tong’s is a shore break north of Bagasbas Beach.


Real and Infanta, Quezon



These two coastal towns are located at the windswept northeastern coast of Quezon Province. Despite its closer access from Manila and its friendly surf, these places have kept their remoteness from visiting surfers. There are only few resorts, no surfing clubs or any fancy restaurants around the area. Dinahican Point is the main surfing spot which gives out 4-8ft waves at the right season. Best waves come out after a storm and in some instances may not be possible to ride on. These towns can be easily reached from Manila by the scenic route of Laguna de Bay and across the Sierra Madre mountain range. Always check the weather before going. Closure of roads is expected during heavy rains.

NOTE: This surf location do not have ready accommodations.