Siargao opens surf world’s eyes

MANILA, Philippines —  The wait was worth it and hosting a stop in the 12-leg World Surf League (WSL) pro tour was long overdue for Siargao. Now that the Surigao del Norte island has been introduced as a top-class surfing destination, it could be a permanent fixture on the WSL circuit. PSC and WSL agreed to a two-year deal with the option to extend to a third staging but from the success of the recent four-day Cloud 9 event, it’s likely Siargao will be an annual destination on the tour.

“History was made,” said PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio. “More than a competition, it was a showcase destination and reflected the beauty of sports tourism. We had a P250 million budget to host and the estimate of the economic impact is about P4 billion. There were 2,000 spectators on the shoreline and thousands more watching on giant screens. Pang panaginip lang ito. Over 500 foreigners visited, each spending on their own for transport, food and hotel. French broadcast group Kaptures came in full force. The Paris Olympic gold, silver and bronze male medalists participated and the female Olympic champion also competed. We were represented by four wildcards, two of whom made it to Round 2. I was told the 3-storey surf watchtower that was built in record-breaking three months is the world’s best and we generated the largest social media impressions in WSL’s 50-year history.”

WSL Asia Pacific president Andrew Stark of Australia said Siargao was the perfect host. “The best features are the welcoming people, the variety of waves, the chill-out atmosphere, the infrastructure, the support from PSC and local government,” he said. “I visited Siargao 20 years ago and the progress has since been amazing with good roads, excellent accommodations, facilities, cafes and restaurants, accessible flights. We chose Siargao as a stop not only because we wanted diversity but also a high quality of waves. At the Paris Olympics, surfing was held in Tahiti. Both Siargao and Tahiti offer incredible waves, they’re wonderful surfing destinations.”

Siargao brought in 40 competitors, 16 women and 24 men from 11 countries. Hawaii, site of the last stop Lexus Pipe Masters on the tour next month to decide the male and female world champions this season, is recognized separately from Mainland US. Local bets John Mark (Marama) Tokong, 30, Jayuard Alciso, 21 and Noah Arkfeld, 22, were among four male wildcards while La Union’s Mara Lopez, 15, was one of two female wildcards.