Experience a Surfer's High

Considered as one of the top destinations in Asia when it comes to surfing, the Philippines has become a surfing Mecca for foreigners and adventure sports enthusiasts alike. With water sports available in the beautiful islands of the archipelago, one can expect the thrill and excitement of adventure while being close to nature, making tourists appreciate the natural wonders of the country.

One of the most popular water sports in the world is surfing. It is said that the best time for surfing in the Philippines is from October to June, when the northeast monsoon or “Amihan” winds are present. The southwest monsoon or “Habagat” winds also bring great waves to some surfing areas from April to September.

Several forms of surfing like windsurfing and kite surfing have emerged and are now in the limelight when it comes to aquatic adventures. Tourist destinations like Boracay, Camarines Sur and Siargao Islands have many surfing shops and equipment rentals, offering surfing lessons as well. Both beginners and expert surfers are surely bound for the great tidal experience of their lives.

Surfing

Surfing is one of the most challenging board sports. It requires a lot of physical endurance and patience to learn the sport. However, despite the amount of practice and experience one needs to be able to surf like a pro, many sports enthusiasts aren't giving up on surfing. Rather, the challenge only makes conquering the waves sweeter.

Surfing enthusiasts outside the country usually goes to Hawaii until lately, when the Philippine shores proved to be a great spot for that “Cloud 9” surfing experience. This sport can be physically draining or relaxing, fast or slow, risky or controlled. It all depends on how one rides and controls the board.

The basic requirement in surfing is to be a good swimmer and have a good eyesight. For newbies, standing on the first wave may be frustrating and exhilirating, but mastering the sport is well worth it. Learning the basics is hard and usually needs a professional surfer or a friend who surfs to teach the do's and don'ts.

It is always advisable to bring someone to surf with, professional or not. What's important is that someone is there in case of emergency. Plus, a partner can give moral support whenever a big wave crashes a surfer down.

Equipment for surfing is not as costly as compared to other water sports. One only needs a good surfboard, a swimwear, a leash and some wax for the surfboard.

Windsurfing

Combining both aspects of sailing and surfing, windsurfing is a surface water sport and is usually considered a minimalistic version of a sailboat. It requires the use of a windsurf board, also known as a sailboard, which is usually twoto five meters long. Unlike surfing, big waves are not needed to windsurf, just good weather and a pretty strong wind. Beginners firstneed to familiarize themselves with the weather before surfing. Long-time surfers on the other hand, are very much knowledgable in handling different types of weather conditions.

In 1980's, windsurfing became so popular, leading to the sport's recognition as an Olympic Sport in 1984. Its disciplines include speed sailing, course racing, wave sailing, and freestyle along with certain athletic aspects in other board sports like skate boarding, snow boarding, and water skiing. The sport offers a lot of experiences one can't have with other sailing sports. Windsurfers can perform jumps, inverted loops, and maneuvers that cannot be matched by any sailboat.

Windsurfing can be done in winds from near 0 to 50 knots, but the ideal speed for recreational sailors is from 15 to 25 knots. Depending on how strong the wind is, one can do displacement sailing or hydroplaning (also known as planing).

Displacement sailing happens in light winds not higher than 10 knots and involves the use of a centerboard to move through the water. In planing conditions where the wind goes more than 10 knots, the board ceases to move through the water and instead skims over the surface at a higher speed. It is much better to use a smaller board when planing in order to achieve a faster velocity.

For neophytes, it is essential to develop balance and stability in acquiring basic understanding of sailing. After a few lessons and lots of practice, one will surely enjoy surfing with the wind.

Kite surfing

Another water sport gaining popularity in the Philippines is kite surfing. Also called as kite boarding, this sport has been around for about six to seven years. A fast-growing and dynamic new sport, kite surfing is a combination of wind surfing, wakeboarding, and kite flying. In 1999, only a few hundred kite surfers enjoyed this sport, but now thousands are diving in to try this one-of-a-kind extreme water sport.

So how does one learn kite surfing? The general idea is to stand on a board with floor straps or bindings and hold a large controllable kite propelling the board across the water. Though it sounds easy, a surfer's body becomes the only connection between the kite and the board. One has to control both at the same time, piloting the kite in the sky and steering the board on water. In 2006, around 150,000 to 210,000 enthusiasts are into kite surfing, with almost 115,000 inflatable kites sold in the same year.

In terms of water adventure sports, some say that kitesurfing is now more popular compared to windsurfing because it is easier to learn the basics and much simpler to use the necessary equipment. Unlike other sail sports, kite surfing only needs five knots to get it going. In windsurfing, the sail is dependent on the wind to generate power, whereas in kite surfing, one depends on the wind to make the kite fly. Once the kite flies, it creates its own wind which is much faster and can produce more power.

There are different kinds of kite surfing like freestyle, wake-style, and wave-riding. Freestyle is the most common kind and utilizes a standard kite and board. Wake-style is more appropriate in a flatter water and uses a board with bindings, while wave-riding needs a special kind of board more appropriate for bigger waves.

List of top surfing areas in the Philippines:

-Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte
-Puraran Beach, Baras, Catanduanes
-Cemento Beach, Baler, Aurora
-Calicoan Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar
-Boracay Island, Aklan
-Maira-Ira Beach, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
-San Juan, La Union
-Lanuza Bay, Surigao del Sur
-Cabugao, Ilocos Sur
-San Narciso & San Antonio, Zambales
-Bagasbas Beach, Daet, Camarines Norte
-Badoc Island, Ilocos Norte
-Daet, Camarines Norte

Sources:
http://www.ivanhenares.com
http://surfmanila.blogspot.com/
http://www.philippinesurfingacademy.com/
http://www.surfpinoy.blogspot.com/