Eastern Visayas eyed as region’s surfing capital

Surfing is the sport of riding waves in an upright or prone position. Surfers catch ocean waves and glide across the surface of the water until the waves break and lose their energy. (Surf Gear Ltd)

BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar — The Surfriders Club of Eastern Samar (SCES) has bared plans to form the Eastern Visayas surfing circuit to hone the skills of local surfers.

Club president Rupert Ambil said this was the suggestion of the Department of Tourism and endorsed to the Philippine Surfing Championship Team.

“We already informed the national team of our next step. After going national, we will go to the regional tour and make Region 8 as the center of surfing in the Visayas,” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Famous surfing spots in the region include Calicoan Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar; Borongan City, Eastern Samar; and Dulag, Leyte. Surfing competitions have been held in these areas this year.

Last October, the 2nd leg of the Philippine Surfing Championship was held in Calicoan while last March, the 2nd Leyte Airwaves Surfing Competition was held in Dulag town.

This city is hosting a five-day national surfing competition, the last leg of the Philippine Surfing Championship that opened on Sunday.

But aside from these three areas, there are other good spots along the Pacific Coast, but some of these spots are still not promoted to surfing enthusiasts.

“We have many surfing spots here,” Ambil noted.

“But we have to be selective because there are also surf spots that are good for those who excel in surfing,” Ambil added. “We usually surf in spots that we don’t talk about, and if you have a good surf spot you don’t tell that to everyone.”

Ambil said his group is promoting the surfing spot in Borongan because it is located within the city’s commercial center and near facilities like hospitals for emergency response.

“That is part of the planning because we don’t want to become liable, on accidents especially deaths,” he added.

“We open some surf spot like Borongan because we should also open up some areas for everybody, for the beginners,” he added.

Surfing is the sport of riding waves in an upright or prone position. Surfers catch ocean waves and glide across the surface of the water until the waves break and lose their energy. Wave riders stand up on surfboards and navigate the water – nearly parallel to the beach – toward the shore.