Siargao’s Cloud 9 ranks top 8 of the world’s 50 best surf spots


Siargao Island's Cloud 9 surf break ranks top 8
in CNNGo's World's 50 Best Surf Spots.
(Photo by: Aye Navarro)

CNNGo, an ultimate travel website of CNN International (www.cnngo.com), recently featured Siargao Island’s Cloud 9 as top eight (8) of the world’s 50 best surf spots. As a Southeast Asian country, Philippines or Siargao Island in particular, ranked second to Indonesia’s Uluwatu and Kuta surf breaks as it shared top 3 spot.

World’s 10 Best Surf Spots (Source: CNNGo, 2012 )

  1. Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii, United States (The daddy of all waves)
  2. Supertubes, Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa
  3. Uluwatu and Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
  4. Superbanks, Gold Coast, Australia
  5. Mavericks, California, United States
  6. Lima, Peru
  7. Hossegor, France
  8. Cloud Nine, Siargao Island, Philippines
  9. Sultans, North Male, Maldives
  10. Honolua Bay, Hawaii, United States

With this pronouncement of CNNGo, Siargao is once again creating a “buzz” among the surfers and surfing enthusiasts to discover and explore Cloud 9, aptly described by CNNGo ---  “This dramatic and powerful reef break, which crashes onto shallow razor sharp coral, offers right and left death rides to those who dare. Those who do will experience a slice of paradise, or magic mushroom-like hallucinations, as the wave wraps over them like a Cornish pasty shaped cocoon of water. Don’t slip, or your skin and bones will be ripped to shreds by the ocean bed.”



However, whether you are a beginner or a pro surfer, you are all welcome to “experience a slice of paradise” in Siargao Island. Aside from world-class waves, Siargao Island --- a tropical paradise of Surigao del Norte --- offers beautiful white-sand beaches and islets, naturally-carved tide pools, mangrove forests, coves, caves, and schools of non-stingy jellyfish.  The beautiful smiles, the warmth and hospitality of the islanders, inadvertently made it a must see destination. 

You will also enjoy the different surf spots in the island any time of the year. The local surfers are very much willing to be your surf guides or surf instructors.

Cloud 9 is the surf break in Siargao Island named after the local no-melt chocolate bars. It was discovered by John Callahan, a famous American surf photographer and writer. The photographs and articles he wrote about his surf expedition to Siargao Island in 1992 made Cloud 9 a famous surfing haven in the Philippines.  It is recognized as one of the surfers dream breaks in the Pacific Region (Nelson & Taylor, 2006) and considered as the Surfing Capital of the Philippines. 

Before the advent of sports tourism, the people of Siargao Island were largely a community subsistent on fishing and farming with the island having inadequate infrastructure facilities and poor road conditions.  

With the growing popularity of Siargao Island as a surfing destination, the municipality of General Luna and the entire Siargao Island caught the attention of the national government and local and foreign investors. Tourism-related investments projects and project support started pouring in, in the form of road concreting, airport expansion, seaport construction, and water supply and tourism facilities or resorts construction. It is also expected that with the “buzz” created by CNNGo, Siargao Island will have an increased visitor arrivals and vibrant local economy.  

Anyone interested to surf at Cloud 9 or spend your holiday in the Island, just send an email to Philippine Surfing Federation, zenpallugna@yahoo.com.ph (e-mail) or call us at +63 9296721508 (mobile).

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2 comments:

  1. siargao airport runway should be extended to accomodate bigger aircraft and also to welcome the influx of more tourists. the DPWH must prioritize this together with DOTC. so that going to this wonderful place will be a lot easier.

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  2. the government should prioritize on building bigger airport runaway to the recently world recognized tourist desitnations here in the philippines and that is boracay and siargao!!!!! in order to accomodate the influx of million of tourist in these two great places, kahit walang terminal basta mauna muna yung expansion ng longer runway, then yung radar then yung night light guide for landing, the terminal will follow or can be build by private investors or filipino corporations like jgsummit, sm investments, san miguel, and others........

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Siargao is composed of 48 islands and islets-politically divided into nine municipalities: Burgos, Dapa, Del Carmen, Gen. luna, Pilar, San Benito, San Isidro, Santa Monica, and Socorro. Read more...

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