Today was one of the dopest days ever.
I woke up at 4 AM in Cebu to catch a flight to Siargao, the surfing capital of the Philippines. Technically, it's the low season here—both for tourism and for waves—so I wasn't even sure there'd be anything to ride.
I landed in Siargao around 7 AM to a gray, rainy sky. After grabbing a flat white coffee, I booked a nice place on Agoda. Honestly, Agoda is by far the best app to book places—highly recommend it. Or just book in person. As you know, I only book things day-of now. It's more spontaneous and fun.
While walking around, a guy stopped me to rent a motorbike. In Asia, you need one everywhere—it's cheaper and cooler. I thought I was done after my month of riding in Vietnam, but pretty much every place in the Philippines has required one. Since I'll be in Siargao for 10 days, I asked for a good price. I've noticed most things like motorbikes or tours here are pretty standardized—you won't find wild bargaining like you might in other parts of Southeast Asia.
We agreed on a price, and I asked for the bike to have a surf rack. Then I dropped off my luggage at the accommodation—it was a little hard to find, and the room wasn't ready, so I left my bags and hit the road to explore the town.
Right away, I felt the vibe: surf shops, vibey cafés, yoga studios, and cool restaurants lining the main street. This was my kind of place.
Rachel and I stopped into our first surf shop and asked about board rentals—₱400 a day. Next, we went to a surf school to compare. When we got there, we talked to a guy named Yung, and he said they were heading to a break by boat in 10 minutes.
I wasn't even wearing a bathing suit. But this is exactly why I came—to be spontaneous. Rachel and I ran back to grab our stuff and headed straight back. The surf school was called Marco Surf.
Now's a good time to give some context. I've only been on a surfboard three times in my life. I grew up skimboarding, snowboarding, and flowriding, so I have a feel for board sports—but actual surfing has been humbling.
Spring 2022: Surfed in Costa Rica with Ron—got wrecked by the current, barely caught a wave.
Summer 2022: Tried in Costa da Caparica, Portugal with Kaleb—bad conditions, no luck.
September 2023: Surfed in Tel Aviv with Zach—same story, failed.
Basically, I'd never actually stood up on a board properly. So I was a little nervous.
We took a boat out to a reef break called Stumpy's, about 1 km from shore. I hopped in the water and Yung gave me a few tips—his English wasn't great. The waves were pretty big, but for the first time, I felt calm. I ended up catching two solid waves. Huge win.
More than that, I finally felt comfortable in the water and confident. This was my first real surfing success—especially after a 4 AM wake-up. I forgot how tiring surfing is. Your heart rate spikes, your arms get shredded paddling for hours.
We surfed for two hours. Honestly, Yung turned out to be a pretty bad coach.
After surfing, I crushed a coconut and poke bowl. Rachel and I decided to look for a better coach for tomorrow. I found a place with good reviews on Google Maps. On the beach, there are dozens of shacks with boards and instructors. While walking to the Google spot, a guy stopped us and asked if we wanted to surf. He was heading out in 5 minutes.
I was dead tired—two hours in the water already, 4 AM start—but something told me to go again. I talked with the instructor, Chico. He spoke great English and had good energy, so I agreed.
We took a boat out to a different reef break called Cemetery. We surfed for three hours, and Chico gave me some excellent feedback. The first wave I caught was the best of my life. I finally understood what it means to actually ride. I caught speed, stayed on, rode it out.
These waves were big—almost 2 meters high—and they broke left and right. I was getting more confident and learning fast.
Here are a few tips I learned:
Leash goes on the outside ankle
Paddle out straight
When catching a wave, paddle hard and kick your feet together
Keep paddling until the board picks up speed
Pop up fast, turn your shoulder, and look down the wave
Stay loose—not stiff
I was riding a 6'2", 42-liter board. I liked how squirrelly it felt—reminded me of flowboarding.
This session taught me a few things. I've always been tight and stretch often, but I need to stretch more seriously—maybe an hour a day. I'm already a meditative guy, but I can be even more focused.
After three hours, with the sun finally shining, I was completely gassed. My chest was raw from the board, my neck and shoulders were cooked. I could barely paddle. This might've been one of the most tired moments of my life.
4 AM wake-up.
Two sessions.
Five hours in the water.
What a day.
I hope I sleep like a rock tonight—because I need to surf tomorrow.
