I’ve watched several surfing films and I was fascinated at how surfers were able to balance on their surfboards despite the horrifying waves.  I would often imagine myself surfing but I never thought it would become real.

Ritha was planning to go Siargao with Joan and Cindy.  She invited me and Rose to join them.  I checked Cebu Pacific online and they had a Php 499 Seat Sale for Cebu to Siargao.  I spent Php 1132.28 one-way.  Since Siargao to Cebu was expensive at that time (no Seat Sale), I booked Surigao to Cebu instead since it also had a P499 Seat Sale.  I spent Php 1469.88.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport to Sayak Airport (Siargao) – 1 hr.

Surigao Airport to Cebu – 45 min.

Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea situated 800 kilometers southeast of Manila in the province of Surigao del Norte. It has a land area of approximately 437 square kilometers. The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port Pilar. The coastline is marked by a succession of reefs, small points and white, sandy beaches. The neighboring islands and islets have similar landforms. (Wikipedia)

Departure

When Rose and I waited for our flight to Siargao, Cebu Pacific announced that there would be a two-hour delay.  We were hoping that they would take care of our lunch (like how they did in the past) but unfortunately, we waited in vain. hahaha!

Arrival

We arrived at Sayak Airport 15 minutes early.  We were planning to ride a tricycle from the airport to General Luna since it was cheaper but there were no tricycles in sight.  We rode a van instead since there were a lot waiting outside the airport.  There were only two of us along with two foreigners.  We spent Php 350 each.

Sayak Airport to General Luna – 45 mins.

Buddha Surf Resort, General Luna

General Luna is a town where the resorts are located, including the famous Cloud9.  We were dropped off right in front of Buddha Surf Resort where we booked our stay for two nights.  At the entrance, two handsome foreigners greeted us.  I thought they were the owners but they introduced themselves as the managers.  They offered us fresh coconut drinks.

We walked the road to Cloud9 thinking that it would take 30 minutes or less but it was far from Buddha Surf Resort.  There were no tricycles or jeepneys.  The main transportation was a motorcycle or habal-habal.  General Luna’s habal-habal looked different from the usual motorcycles in the Philippines.  Some have canopies and a special compartment for surfboards on the sides.

When we felt that we could no longer walk any further, we took two motorcycles.  One could take about four or five passengers!

We paid Php 20 each for the habal-habal.  When we arrived at the Cloud9, there were surfing instructors waiting outside.  Each of us had our own instructor who patiently taught us the basics of surfing.  We were then excited to apply what we’ve learned.

We went to a spot where it was already very deep.  We were discouraged from staying near the shore because it was rocky and we might get into an accident.  The first thing I asked my instructor was if there were any sharks.  He simply answered yes but they were small ones.  Thank you for making me feel better.  Pffft.

Since we surfed for almost two hours, we paid our instructors Php 600 each which already included the rent for the surfboards.  They said that if you were not able to stand on the surfboard and surf all the way, the instructor has to be blamed and won’t get paid. LOL

At that time, the waves weren’t that big.  The best time to go to Siargao would be between September to October.  The next day, we went island-hopping. 🙂

P.S.  The photos were taken using a camera phone and a GoPro Hero 3. Credits to Joan Villahermosa for some of the photos that were used for this blog.