SIARGAO, SURIGAO DEL NORTE — You’re probably familiar with this green and tranquil island of Siargao either by its reputation, or you’ve had a chance to visit here in the middle of the Philippine Sea.
I’m actually here this week with a few friends so I wanted to share some insights into my trip. Of course, most people know this island of Siargao as the Surf Capital of the Philippines, and home to international surf competitions. But there is far more beneath the surface of the island’s white sand beaches, palm groves, friendly and laid-back locals, and a distinctly-Rasta vibe. Here are nine things you may not know about Siargao:
1. Often described as a teardrop-shaped island, Siargao encompasses 452 square kilometers, making it the 25th largest island in the Philippines. (For comparison, Bohol is 3,269 km² and Negros, 3,328 km².) It also includes 48 smaller islands and islets.
2. Siargao is the closest major island to the Philippine Deep, the lowest point of the Philippine Trench. The Deep is a full 10,700 meters (35,104 feet) below sea level, the third-lowest recorded depth of any ocean behind the Mariana Trench and the Tonga Trench. That means you could easily fit Mount Everest, the highest peak on earth, inside the Philippine Deep since Everest reaches “only” 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) above sea level.
3. Siargao is home to the largest mangrove forest in all of Mindanao. The island has huge mangrove swamps on its southern and western sides, and particularly at the Del Carmen Reserve.
4. Don’t worry about sharks as you splash around the waters off Siargao’s shores because there aren’t any. But there sure are some big and dangerous crocodiles in certain areas, especially the mangroves on the western side of the island. In fact, the Indo-Pacific saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is native to Siargao, with a gigantic croc measuring 14 feet and nine inches found dead here in 2016.
5. Siargao was the hideout for a notorious American surfer-turned-drug smuggler named Mike Boyum. After stealing more than a million dollars from the Maui Mafia to fund his drug smuggling operation, he went on the run to avoid capture or arrest, settling into this little quiet surfers’ paradise in 1988. Boyum mysteriously disappeared soon after, although his death has never been confirmed, nor his body ever recovered. Some say that Boyum died around April 1989 after a 44-day spiritual fast; others say he was killed surfing Cloud 9; a few others believe he’s still alive and hiding somewhere in Southeast Asia.
6. Why nine things and not 10 on this list? That is in honor of “Cloud 9”, Siargao’s most popular surf spot. In fact, it gets inundated with so many surfers and tourists that locals now often call it “Crowd 9”.
Do you know how “Cloud 9”, the surfing spot, first got its name? American surfer and photographer John Seaton Callahan in 1980 thought the reef and barrel in the area reminded him of the texture of a chocolate bar called – you guessed it – Cloud 9.
7. A movie titled Siargao was released in the Philippines in 2017 to rave reviews. Set on this island, it stars Filipino actors Jericho Rosales, Erich Gonzales, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith. Two of the Philippines’ top surfers, Wilmar Melindo and Luke Landrigan, made cameo appearances in the movie. The island was already one of the country’s up-and-coming hot spots, but the movie brought it even more attention.
8. Most tourists take a break from surfing long enough to go island-hopping on Siargao’s Naked, Guyam, and Dako Islands. But far fewer people get to explore the Sohoton Caves, which you can reach with a two-hour boat ride from General Luna. Accessible only at low tides, these caves and lagoons are a fantastic place to swim, snorkel, and kayak, sharing the waters with hundreds of stingless jellyfish.
9. Cloud 9 has served as a muse for many artists and musicians. An ukulele player named Eddie Florano wrote a song Surfin’ in Siargao that made it onto an international ukulele compilation album in 2006.
But it was Anthony Kiedis, iconic lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who became Siargao’s biggest celebrity surfer. After performing a concert in Pampanga in 2014, Kiedis made his way down to Siargao, where he rode the waves at Stimpys. He even reportedly stole a wave from a local, but Kiedis later thanked her for giving him the wave, and she was cool. Inspired by the island that he called “paradise,” Kiedis wrote a song called The Longest Wave in honor of the island of Siargao, which appeared on the RHCP’s next album, The Getaway.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
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