Got Waves Philippines? Yup

Didn’t realize how much potential the Philippines offered.  As Ryan stared at the perfect right handers on both sides of the San Juan bay, it took everything in his body to not jump in.  “Perfect 6-8 Hawaiian” I exclaimed to Ben, the Frenchman surfer who now lives in Australia.  “What doooos zat mean?” he politely asked in his heavy French accent.  “Like 10-12 ft. faces,” Ryan answered peering back to the hut we were all cruising in.  Ryan and I looked on, stunned and amazed that the Philippines of all places, would light up with perfect slabs, pitching, curling and barreling on the sets.  It was an amazing sight.  For Ryan, it was a heartbreak, a gut wrenching sacrifice he needed to make in order for his “intercostal muscle strain” to heal.  “Finally!” I thought, “Ry will be with me!”  No, but I also felt truly sorry for him as he came back to the room, plopped on the bed, covers over his head and slept.  I however, went back out to watch the incredible power of the ocean.

Monaliza from about 1/2 mile away, shot from a rocky outcropping to the left of San Juan Beach.  Sorry no telephoto.  These sets are actually close to double overhead.

 

This is shot right in front of the rocky outcropping mentioned above, to the left of San Juan Beach, about a 1/2 mile from Monaliza.  Perfect 6-8ft sets were peeling into another bay.  Reminded me of Rocky Rights, shallow reef slab in front but completely ripable.  This wave wasn't showing until this morning.  I could not for the life of me figure out why noone was surfing.  I'd come back to the Philippines just for this.

That's an empty 6ft barrel cruising by.  No takers.

  By the early morning, the swell started to subside quickly. Watching the sets go from 8 ft. Hawaiian to 4ft. Hawaiian in an afternoon was such a sight.  Current and winds picked up by midmorning, so I waited for the next day when I knew it would be glassier.  Didn’t know what to expect, would it be smaller, bigger?  I went to sleep early as Ryan and the “boys” (one german, one frenchman, one dutchman, an one alaskan) worked on a bottle of irish whiskey late into the night.  I woke up the next morning.  “Dang it, sun is up already, choke people are going to be out!”  Of course as I’ve learned here in the Philippines, no one, absolutely no one wakes up at 6:00 a.m. to surf.  They come about 8:00.  So far in the line up, it’s been me, a Japanese guy named Satoru and an Aussie or American, or Frenchman.  Three of us out on glass, glass, glass.  I woke up at 6:15 a.m.  Ran to look at the shore break and Monaliza, it was still fireing, smaller, but again, looks can be decieving.  I ran back to the room and told Ryan “I’m going out!”  Amazed, shocked and sleep deprived, he said “Be careful out there, I’ll be right behind you to watch.”  I’ve been renting a perfect bodyboard for about $2.50 an hour from a Filipino surfer named Nano.  Sweet, sweet man.  He only had one bodyboard and I love it.  I attached my leash, geared up with my VOIT fins (thanks Lisa and Bill) and headed out into the shorebreak.  I got pounded by a set, but continued.  “I can’t give up I thought, don’t be chicken this time, you’re in the Philippines, when are you ever going to come back!”  With all my strength, I pushed through it. Little did I know Ryan was watching by this point, nervous as ever as I continued my paddle towards the point.  Dark sets in the distance began to roll in and an eerie feeling began to chill my body, “Bigger than it looked from the beach I thought to myself.”  Perfect, pitching, barreling slabs. At this point, I was a little scared, but I managed to calm down, “It’s just water, hold my breath if a set crashes on my head....” and then it began, I made it over the first, second, third, “Whew....frick’n huge out here.”  It took me a while to feel comfortable to finally go for my first right-hander, I kicked with my all, positioned my bodyboard and dropped, “Go, go, go” I thought in my mind as it began to pitch, “Kick!” I thought to myself, “You’re going to make it!”  And I did, I am shaking just thinking about it!  And that was my first ever right-hand point break!  What an amazing ride.  It always takes that first one and then “Here we go!”  I was still shaking from the first wave and thought, “I’ll just go in now,” but I stayed...for another three hours!  People began to come out and the crowd grew to 20 strong, but unlike Hawaii, everyone smiles, greets, cheers, what an awesome crowd.  I began conversations with amazing people, including a pro-surfer here in the Philippines.  His name is Roland and he rips with only one leg!  He is sponsored by Billabong and is the most humble surfer I have ever met.  The power of his paddle and the speed of his board while he turns up and down the face was quite a sight.  It was an honor to meet him.  I ventured over to another peak where it was less crowded.  There were two distinct peaks by now.  “It’s better here when it gets bigger, it doesn’t closeout,” as a Japanese man explained to me.  I sat on the inside at the new peak, but some bombs came through and so I ventured out.  And there it was...dark bumps in the distance.  “Outside!” someone yelled!  “Crap!” I said to myself.  I went over the first and then the second came through, big wall and ready to pitch, “Go U’i, just go!”  And so I kicked with all my might and prepared for the drop.  “Turn fear into agression” I thought, “If I hesitate, the worst of my fears will come true”  “Here it goes!”  I held on as tight as I could through the drop.  “Whooohoo!!!” I screamed at the end of the wave! A session to remember.  I paddled back out for a last wave in and praised KE AKUA for keeping me safe.  Today, I really wasn’t expecting anything of myself.  I normally chicken out and go in...I thought, what a triumph just to paddle out and I would be happy just at that...6 waves later, I look back and think...I did it!!!  I met some pretty awesome people out there and we were all looking out for eachother.  I didn’t know how they would take to me being the only sponger out there, but hearing cheers, encouraging screams, and support was such a blessing to have at Monaliza Point break, Philippines.  Thanks Ry...for finally filming me!