The Philippines Diary Part 3 - Gnarly Surfer Dudes!

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Dear Blog Readers,

Welcome to Part 3 of the Philippine Blogs! You can read parts one and two by clicking the links below:

Part 1
Part 2

We thought the best thing to start the holiday was to see what all the fuss was about with Cloud 9. It didn’t take us long to see why it was world-renowned. The barrels formed perfectly as the locals tackled the 8 foot waves crashing down before them. It was a truly awesome scene and it took some truly awesome skill to try and attempt riding them. My brain was struggling with the juxtaposition between the site before me and my first harrowing surfing experience which was in Hull. The ‘waves’ were barely a ripple. It was as though a fat man had done a running bomb about a mile away and we were trying to catch the aftershocks. Secondly, I saw at least two floaters whilst I was paddling out in the freezing cold water.

Laura picked from the selection of boards on show and I decided to get my first surfing lesson with a local called Jason who helped us find The Boardwalk from the airport. Jason is born and bred in Siargao and he’s been riding Cloud 9 since he’s been able to stand up. He knows the area inside out and was really friendly. I was attracted into getting a surfing lesson with him because he wasn’t pressuring me into getting one. He gave some great advice beforehand and just dropped it into conversation that he gives surfing lessons for a living. Laura, Jason and I went out into the sea and he advised us on steering clear of Cloud 9 and attempt the ‘beginner’ waves next door to it. This surf break was called Quicksilver and had much shallower waves but at a perfect height for a beginner.

Laura paddled out to catch some waves early doors. I stayed on the boardwalk with Jason as he showed me how to stand up. I’d heard that your first surfing lesson isn’t actually in the water. Luckily it only lasted about thirty seconds and before I knew it, I was paddling out in the crystal clear blue water with a temperature not too dissimilar to a warm bath. Jason spent a lot of the time facing out to sea as I lay on the board chatting away. Out of nowhere, he’d say, “get ready!” I suddenly switched from friendly tourist to determined surfer dude. I began paddling as Jason gave a push just as the wave approached. As the force of the wave surged my board forward and popped up and I was up! Standing! It didn’t feel like snowboarding but my sense of correcting balance seemed to kick in instinctively. As soon as it was over, I was back out to paddling again and trying to catch the next wave.

Laura was never far behind or away. She was gracious enough to give me the wave when Jason could see it coming. I also tried to unearth nuggets of gold that you can only get from the locals about the best time and places to surf. Laura was always within earshot so we could compare notes later on what and when to surf! She caught a few waves but insisted she was surfing better during her camp at Fuerta Ventura.

After my lesson, I realised two negative things about surfing. Firstly, if the surf is on a reef break, this means that the ground is sharp (often it is coral). Consequently, it looked like my feet had been grated like cheese. Secondly, you spend the majority of your time paddling out and trying to catch the waves. I didn’t mind this part too much here because the water, surroundings and weather were so beautiful that I could have stayed out there all day. I went up to the room to clean my cuts with iodine, bleach and cotton wool. Laura stayed out for longer to try and catch some more waves. I took some photos from the edge of the boardwalk with the sound of Waterfall by the Stone Roses playing from the stereo in the hotel – could it actually get any better?

A beautifully relaxing afternoon with fresh juices and sensational food nursed our aching muscles from the morning surf. We also realised that our sun-cream, although water resistant, was probably not sports proof. Laying on my front all morning meant that my back was now red raw and Laura wasn’t faring much better! We went to a local restaurant for some dinner. Laura ordered a coconut. About five minutes later, the waitress returns apologetically, "I'm sorry. We can't get you a coconut. The tree is slippery so the man can't climb up to get it for you."

Tink and Laura

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Photos

Surf Boards
Surf boards to hire!

Chilled
Relaxing hammock area.

Beach
Quiet beach near our hotel.

Sunset
Sun setting at the quiet beach.

Coconut
As fresh as you can get - he just climbed the tree!

Palm Trees
Soaring into the sky.

Meal
Meals with amazing views!

Island
The island curving around the bay.

Comments

[Lucia]

Absolutely gorgeous photo guys!