Scribbles Abroad

We left Cebu as quickly as possible, which took two days because the flights to Surigao are sporadic.  The flight was painless and we landed at 11:30.  The ferry to Siargao left at 12:00.  We met another guy on the plane that was also headed to Cloud 9.  We jumped on a trike and b-lined it for the pier.  With our surfboards on the roof and the cab packed, the poor trike was giving its all.  We made it with 3 minutes to spare and ran to the ferry with porters helping carry our boards.  Had we not made the ferry we would have been stuck in Surigao for a day and the place is supposedly really not a place you’d want to stay.

pulling into Surigao, 4 hours later

Check out this guys rainjacket we saw on the way to Cloud 9

So we made it!

The surf capital of the Philippines is Siargao pronounced Shar-gow.  The famous surf break Cloud 9 commonly known as Crowd 9 was never crowded.  On most days it was just one other guy with me.  On the most crowded day there were 5 other spongers out.  We had planned on staying in Siargao for about a week but after a few days we knew we’d be extending.  Even now we wish we had stayed even longer.

Let me walk you through the typical day:
It was really bright so Louise made us hats to keep the sun off our faces.

We’d wake up and check the winds.  If they were light we would catch a boat with two to three other people out to Rock Island for a 4-5 hour surf.  Then we’d come in eat a huge lunch, then take a nice nap.  After the nap it was time for dinner.  We would hang out with others from the area, tell stories, and just relax.  Bed around 10 and then start all over.

The boat out front and Rock Island out the back

Whenever the winds were good for Cloud 9 we would hit that up as long as there was light.

Every once in a while, say every other day, we’d get massages from Gina and Ida.  They were both really great masseuses.  In Bali we got what we now deem were just back rubs, but Gina and Ida were the real deal.  They’d find the knots and massage them out.  Oh yeah it was painful, but in a good way.

Just look at her face, she’s really putting some effort into it.  Looks like she was grunting, but she wasn’t.
While in Siargao we surfed the following waves.

Rock Island:  A long right point break off the side of an island about a mile and a half off shore.  The wave is powerful and has some tricky sections.  The barrels are really fun and the open faces allow for some great turns.  Some times you can take off right next to the rock/island get barreled, then make it through to the next session, do a few turns, get barreled again, work the next section and then get barreled again!

Louise dropping in

Going for a shnap

Stimpys: A playful left that is on the island across from Rock Island.  It’s a less treacherous wave and is usually about half the size of Rock Island.  It was good to go left after only riding rights.

Salvations: When the swells got really big we’d take the boat on a 45 minute journey to a sheltered bay.  The wind would be minimal.  It needs a low going high tide and then a perfect little right rolls in that is super rippable.  If it is 6-8 at rock island, it will be 2-3 at Salvation’s.

Rainbow

Martina

Jalapeno

Rainbow Kisses: This was a wave we saw from a distance.  Pulled up and it was gnarly.  It was a left grinding on 6” of water.  One of the guys was super eager to try it since from the boat we still couldn’t tell how gnarly it was.  It is the left at the rock pools of magpapunko.  Needless to say I caught a few and left a good chunk of my back on the reef.  We named it after Rainbow, the kid from Holland.

Sohotons: There was a really big swell coming through when we went all the way down to the Sohoton Caves.  This wave probably rarely breaks.  But since it was so big, it was refracting all the way down there.  It had the most dramatic backdrop and the wave was a fun left hander.  Nothing special but fun to surf another new break some may never have surfed before.

Pacificos:  One day Louise and I rented a motor bike for 400 pesos and took it for a ride around the island.  I highly suggest anybody that goes there does this.  Louise will right about it shortly.  On that drive we stopped at a huge beach and a long left was reeling on the outer reef.  I lucked out as there was a house being built and a guy in it had a board.  He let me rent it for a $2 bucks and I took it for a spin.   This wave has a ton of potential!  It was about 4-5 feet and really powerful.  The paddle out was a bit difficult but it was worth it.  I caught three waves and then brought the board back in before I broke it like I did with all my Firewires.  It’s a long powerful reeling left in the land of rights.

Cloud 9: Although we never scored it like you see in the mags we did score it.  This wave is awesome, unreal, everything you’d want if you’re a regular footer and like barrels.  You kind of have to backdoor the wave to get a solid shack.  It’s not true that the reef is soft as sponge.  I have more cuts and bruises to prove that.  But it is a bit nicer than the reef in Hawaii.  This is the wave that I wanted to surf the most but most days it was blown out, big, and scary.  Of the lucky days that I did get to surf it, they remain the most memorable of the trip.

While in Siargao we stayed at Ocean 101.  This beautiful property is sheltered from the wind and waves by a large bay.  With Cloud 9 right around the corner and Rock Island out front (a mile and a half) this ideal location is perfect.  We stayed in one of the fan rooms that weren’t oceanfront and paid 600 pesos a night.  The food was fabulous although sometimes I needed to order two meals to fill me up.  The workers were extremely hospitable.   We will definitely be back.

Just some of the staff and family

one of the two lookout spots, both have great hammocks, the spot out there is perfect for learning as long as you have booties.

The front gate

We often ate down the road where it was about a buck cheaper per meal.

Rui’s going away party at the Restaurant down the street

Our last night at the BBQ spot

On our last night we went to the BBQ place next door where I ate 4 orders of BBQ chicken.  I may have had the munchies, but those chickens were damn good.
When the weather was bad or the surf too blown out we’d head to General Luna or as everyone called it “GL”.  We found a lady making coc bread and we fell in love with it.

We saw this hen and thought this hen must like black cock, ok just I thought.

We met some great people while in Siargao.  There were a large amount of Israelis in Cloud 9 and some of them could surf really well.  One guy straight up ripped.  The Israelis are not allowed to go to Muslim countries so they go to the Philippines, which in a sense is their closest equivalent to Indonesia.

Louise and I broke our firewires.  Louise got hers fixed but then I broke it again.  We gave them to the locals who will fix them and be ripping them shortly.  Duckwin got mine and Martin got Louises’.

Overally our experience in Siargao was so overwhelming positive that we will defiently be back.  Considering it rained a to and the waves were onshore most of the time, it says a lot that we still loved it so much.  We hope to write about this place again. Louise will be writing about the other great things about Siargao shortly.