Surfin’ Siargao
October 20, 2002 | 12:00am
SURIGAO DEL NORTE – Amid the blue waters, pristine white sand beaches and emerald isles of Siargao lies a coastline littered with razor-sharp volcanic reef and dangerous wells which produce infamous whirlpools. But this is the steep price world-class surfing enthusiasts pay to ride the dream waves of Siargao.
Located off the northwest coast of Mindanao, "Cloud 9" in General Luna, Siargao, is known to surfing enthusiasts as a surfing paradise that offers the best waves along the Pacific Coast of the Philippines. No less than President Arroyo donned her surfing suit and tried the intense waves herself, prompting Surigao-Island Surf Co. managing director Alex Bangert III to quip, "Surigao should be extremely proud. The people should be proud of their President. This is the first time I’ve heard of a president of a country who actually knows how to surf."
The perfect, hollow barrels were also enough to lure the world’s top 24 bodyboarding athletes to the Philippines this year to vie for the 1st HUMAN International Bodyboarding Challenge, including more than a hundred participants in the 7th Siargao International Surfing Cup.
Smart Communications Inc. provided the event with communications facilities, putting up mobile and ground cellsites as well as Smart Talk payphones in strategic places which actually drove one of the surfers to shout, "Thanks for the signal!" during the Siargao Surfing Cup awarding program.
"Smart has given Siargao a very big advantage in terms of providing the people with a means of communication. Before, we only used radios," Surigao del Norte Gov. Lyndon Barbers said.
He added that residents were very happy when Smart was able to put up a site within only two months since the governor took his seat in July 2001. By September 2001, the site was already up and could be used for the 6th Siargao Surfing Cup.
Bodyboarding is considered as the basic form of riding the waves. Most professional surfers started bodyboarding as a kid before graduating to the more advanced surfing. The difference lies mainly in the kind of board they use. Bodyboards are half the size of surfboards in terms of length and is made of compact foam which makes it lighter than surfboards which are usually made of fiberglass.
Mark Fordham, event organizer for the Bodyboarding Challenge, said the Philippine round was the fourth stop of the World Super Tour (WST) organized by the Global Organization of Bodyboarders. This ran from Oct. 1 to 14.
"We chose Siargao because of its exotic location and because it is known for some of the best waves in the world," Fordham said.
According to Netbb.com, the HUMAN Bodyboarding Challenge was designed to be able to get the best waves on hand, much different from the conventional bodyboarding contest that is held in one to two days. With 14 days on hand, the competing athletes and officials were on call for the 14-day waiting period, hoping to score some of the perfect waves that Cloud 9 had to offer.
This gave the officials the freedom to choose the best days to run the prestigious international event and ensure that Filipinos were shown what bodyboarding was all about.
Meanwhile, an incredible surfing week in the Philippines has just concluded with the closing of the 7th Siargao International Surfing Cup after countless perfect clean barrel rides. Australia’s Steve Hughes was the big winner, taking home a total of P550,000 in an exceptionally high quality field for this year’s event.
World-class surfers from Hawaii, Australia and South Africa also displayed their talents by consistently scoring clean barrel rides and big progressive moves throughout the event.
"I’ve had a great week of surfing here. I had no idea the waves in the Philippines were so good!" Hughes later on said.
Filipino surfers also showed great performances. Fernando Alapayo finished an amazing fifth place overall.
Duncan Scott, one of the finalists from South Africa, said, "In five to 10 years, we would probably see Filipino surfers competing side by side with international surfers. I’m impressed with the local surfers. I was here 10 years ago, and surfing was not really that known here and now, you have an industry already. I will definitely come back next year for a longer time and will be happy to invite more surfers to come ride the waves of Siargao."
Plans to include the event on the Official ASP World Qualifying Calendar are underway, according to ASP Australasia Tour director Matt Wilson.
"It’s such an excellent wave and the surfers really appreciate competing in these types of waves so we have to try and secure this event on the WQC. It’s exciting as it should be the Philippines’ biggest annual sporting event which has the potential to be great for surfing and the Philippines," Wilson added.
Moreover, Gov. Barbers has also announced the increase in cash prize next year from P550,000 to a whopping P1 million for the surfing champ, as promised by President Arroyo.
The surfing site in Siargao was originally discovered by an American in 1992. Siargao is generally a peaceful place compared to its neighboring provinces in Mindanao. Citing March 2002 statistics, Barbers said the crime rate in Siargao is two per 100,000, driving one of the surfers to comment, "If the President chose to stay overnight in Siargao, it means the island is really safe."
A dance concert capped the Siargao Surfing Cup awarding program. Leading R&B band True Faith put the crowd in a party mood when they opened the show with their hit song Shotgun.
Surfers and locals alike danced their way to the bridge connecting the stage situated 50 meters into the water.
It was one wild, wet party alright – as wild and wet as the barrels and tubes that come splashing violently against the surfers’ backs and their very own beef.
Located off the northwest coast of Mindanao, "Cloud 9" in General Luna, Siargao, is known to surfing enthusiasts as a surfing paradise that offers the best waves along the Pacific Coast of the Philippines. No less than President Arroyo donned her surfing suit and tried the intense waves herself, prompting Surigao-Island Surf Co. managing director Alex Bangert III to quip, "Surigao should be extremely proud. The people should be proud of their President. This is the first time I’ve heard of a president of a country who actually knows how to surf."
The perfect, hollow barrels were also enough to lure the world’s top 24 bodyboarding athletes to the Philippines this year to vie for the 1st HUMAN International Bodyboarding Challenge, including more than a hundred participants in the 7th Siargao International Surfing Cup.
Smart Communications Inc. provided the event with communications facilities, putting up mobile and ground cellsites as well as Smart Talk payphones in strategic places which actually drove one of the surfers to shout, "Thanks for the signal!" during the Siargao Surfing Cup awarding program.
"Smart has given Siargao a very big advantage in terms of providing the people with a means of communication. Before, we only used radios," Surigao del Norte Gov. Lyndon Barbers said.
He added that residents were very happy when Smart was able to put up a site within only two months since the governor took his seat in July 2001. By September 2001, the site was already up and could be used for the 6th Siargao Surfing Cup.
Bodyboarding is considered as the basic form of riding the waves. Most professional surfers started bodyboarding as a kid before graduating to the more advanced surfing. The difference lies mainly in the kind of board they use. Bodyboards are half the size of surfboards in terms of length and is made of compact foam which makes it lighter than surfboards which are usually made of fiberglass.
Mark Fordham, event organizer for the Bodyboarding Challenge, said the Philippine round was the fourth stop of the World Super Tour (WST) organized by the Global Organization of Bodyboarders. This ran from Oct. 1 to 14.
"We chose Siargao because of its exotic location and because it is known for some of the best waves in the world," Fordham said.
According to Netbb.com, the HUMAN Bodyboarding Challenge was designed to be able to get the best waves on hand, much different from the conventional bodyboarding contest that is held in one to two days. With 14 days on hand, the competing athletes and officials were on call for the 14-day waiting period, hoping to score some of the perfect waves that Cloud 9 had to offer.
This gave the officials the freedom to choose the best days to run the prestigious international event and ensure that Filipinos were shown what bodyboarding was all about.
Meanwhile, an incredible surfing week in the Philippines has just concluded with the closing of the 7th Siargao International Surfing Cup after countless perfect clean barrel rides. Australia’s Steve Hughes was the big winner, taking home a total of P550,000 in an exceptionally high quality field for this year’s event.
World-class surfers from Hawaii, Australia and South Africa also displayed their talents by consistently scoring clean barrel rides and big progressive moves throughout the event.
"I’ve had a great week of surfing here. I had no idea the waves in the Philippines were so good!" Hughes later on said.
Filipino surfers also showed great performances. Fernando Alapayo finished an amazing fifth place overall.
Duncan Scott, one of the finalists from South Africa, said, "In five to 10 years, we would probably see Filipino surfers competing side by side with international surfers. I’m impressed with the local surfers. I was here 10 years ago, and surfing was not really that known here and now, you have an industry already. I will definitely come back next year for a longer time and will be happy to invite more surfers to come ride the waves of Siargao."
Plans to include the event on the Official ASP World Qualifying Calendar are underway, according to ASP Australasia Tour director Matt Wilson.
"It’s such an excellent wave and the surfers really appreciate competing in these types of waves so we have to try and secure this event on the WQC. It’s exciting as it should be the Philippines’ biggest annual sporting event which has the potential to be great for surfing and the Philippines," Wilson added.
Moreover, Gov. Barbers has also announced the increase in cash prize next year from P550,000 to a whopping P1 million for the surfing champ, as promised by President Arroyo.
The surfing site in Siargao was originally discovered by an American in 1992. Siargao is generally a peaceful place compared to its neighboring provinces in Mindanao. Citing March 2002 statistics, Barbers said the crime rate in Siargao is two per 100,000, driving one of the surfers to comment, "If the President chose to stay overnight in Siargao, it means the island is really safe."
A dance concert capped the Siargao Surfing Cup awarding program. Leading R&B band True Faith put the crowd in a party mood when they opened the show with their hit song Shotgun.
Surfers and locals alike danced their way to the bridge connecting the stage situated 50 meters into the water.
It was one wild, wet party alright – as wild and wet as the barrels and tubes that come splashing violently against the surfers’ backs and their very own beef.
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