surfing in the philippines

[bananapancake]

Hi guys!

Me and my girlfriend are going on a round-the-world-tripp next spring, and we will probably spend a couple of weeks in the philippines. I read a little about surfing there on the wannasurf website and it sounds awsome!
but If you guys have surfed there Id appreciate some more info...

first of all, Im a rookie... have only surfed for about a month (in bali) and I basically suck (but im loving it!). My girlfriend have never surfed at all. so... where should we go to get good beginnerwaves??

second... we dont have any boards, and since surfing seems to be new in the philippines I guess it can be hard to find surfshops or people who rent surfboards... do any of the good beginner-beaches have surf-rental-shops? Or do you know of any good shops in for example Manilla where we could buy some used surfboards cheap (and perhaps sell them again when we leave?)

oh, and we will get there sometime around the 10-15 of March and stay for a couple of weeks or so.... is this a good month for surfing there? (good in this case means small and easy and fun waves, not big barrel-ones)

thanks alot in advance!
//Kalle

[bananapancake]

anyone?

[iomarti]

hey, sorry i really don't know a thing about the phillipines...

sounds amazing though. Don't actually know where they even are, but i think i'd like to go, too...

[woofers]

Hi Kalle,
First off, March is not the best time to go surfing in the Philippines. Surf season here is from July at the earliest, until January or maybe February. Still, you may be able to find a few surf spots with waves suitable for beginners in Zambales, La Union, Quezon, Baler, or Siargao.

There are boards for rent at a couple of resorts, going for around Php1000/day. There are at least 3 surf shops in Metro Manila (which is nowhere near any waves) and I know of one more that is planning to open before the end of this year. There are also several Quicksilver shops in the better shopping malls. Finally, a few enterprising surfers have started importing boards from Australia and Hawaii to satisfy the local market. One of the shops has a shaper from Hawaii doing custom boards for them.

Surfing in the Philippines isn't exactly new -- locals at La Union and Siargao have been surfing since the 70's -- but it's only recently that it's become part of the public consciousness thanks to a local TV/movie actor that has been promoting the sport.

[bananapancake]

thanks guys!

ok, so march isnt a good month... crap! but does that mean there are almost no waves at all, or...? I belive (could be wrong here) that in Bali the surf is much better during "surf-season" but still pretty good during the rest of the year... not the same in the philippines??
Ill check out the places you listed!

woofers - do you live in the philippines? I think we´ll be staying most of the time around Baguio (some friends of my girlfriend will be there at the time). do you know of any good spots around there? (with boardrentals perhaps?)
thanks!

[woofers]

ok, so march isnt a good month... crap! but does that mean there are almost no waves at all, or...? I belive (could be wrong here) that in Bali the surf is much better during "surf-season" but still pretty good during the rest of the year... not the same in the philippines??
Ill check out the places you listed!

Hi Kalle,
Probably the absolute best bet for waves around March would be Siargao, but that's a two plane rides and a boat trip away from Baguio.

woofers - do you live in the philippines? I think we´ll be staying most of the time around Baguio (some friends of my girlfriend will be there at the time). do you know of any good spots around there? (with boardrentals perhaps?)
thanks!

Yup, I'm a native.

I hope you won't spend all your time in Baguio. It's an interesting place, the mountain province -- but it's nowhere near the ocean.

From Baguio the closest beaches and surf spots would be in La Union to the west.

Personally, I'd skip the surfing in March and just go hang out on the beach. Go to Boracay or Puerto Galera. Or Palawan if you want to go diving.

[bananapancake]

hmm... it would be sad if we couldnt surf at all... but if there are no waves then what you gonna do? maybe we´ll follow your advice and just hang around for a while..

If theres no surf in philippines I think we´re gonna have to go to Bali as well... Some time after visiting the philippines we´ll be flying from singapore to NZ, and I dont think it will cost much to make an extra stop in Bali on the way down.

anyways... thanks alot for your help and info woofers!
//
kalle

[keithcheckers]

Hi Woofers

I am going to philippines in 2 weeks. Do you know which resorts have surfboards for rent or can you get a deal for the week in manilla? Thanks a lot... Keith