Surfing at Cantilan: Revelation of My Tarnished Surfing Skill

The Boad Destroyer of Cantilan ( Photo credit : Cathe Duero)

I LOVE SURFING!  This water sport and recreational activity was first introduced to me in Dahican Beach, during my Mati Series Escapade in Davao Oriental. Surfing is very hard at first but as time goes by, the fear and hesitation were  replaced with values of patience and determination.

Then this was followed by the great surfing adventure in Siargao together with fellow travel blogger Mervin of  Pinoy Adventurista. That was the very first time I faced the gigantic waves of Siargao and I was very  hesitant back then to try wondering if I could make it even on the foot of the waves after seeing the raging 10-15 feet board destroyer (off season). But eventually I was able to overcome my fear and had fun using the long board hitting the waves over and over again.

In Surigaodel Sur, I have only heard the Municipality of Lanuza as the only  surfing site at the northern region of Surigao del Sur until I was tagged by a local friend , Cathe, at their place in Cantilan, revealing the giant seasonal waves in their shore. Cantilan is one of the oldest towns in Surigao Peninsula and in fact  was tagged as “The Cradle of Towns" in Caraga.

During my first trip at Cathe's place, I just simply enjoyed the monster beach of Baybay together with Cathe and James. Seeing a good swell in the area just fronting the resort( Cathe Pacific), we decided to put our surfing skills into a test on my return a week after.

(L-R) Journeying James,Cathe Duero, Glenn of Escape Manila, Jeffrey of Traveling Morion and Love Mindanao (front)

Wishing to share the fun of  a nice weekend in our Cantilan escapade, we  invited our fellow travel bloggers, Glenn from Davao, Jeffrey and Nathalie from Surigao City to join our little dream vacation. We rented a surf board from Brendo of Anod Signs in the town proper of Cantilan for only Php200.00/day. I was shocked that the available surf board was the short one in which I wasn't comfortable at all since I am just a beginner same with Jeffrey and Glenn.

Multiple failed attempts to surf the waves of Cantilan, (photo credit: Cathe Duero)

We took a simple refresher course and tips from James as he'd  been surfing for almost a year and definitely a more experienced surfer than us. After a short lecture, we put the surfing theory into the test which resulted to  a revelation of my tarnished surfing skill. I am not afraid of the water but the moment the hollow curves of the Cantilan waves  hit me, I started to get intimidated with its power and speed. I kept on trying to be on top of my board but it seemed like I lost my balance and my concentration after I got tumbled down by the board killer waves. I tried and tried but it wasn't my day to successfully glide on top of the waves. After that failed multiple attempts, I just feasted my eyes on the beautiful surrounding with my friends on the beach.

Enjoying the shore of Baybay in Cantilan

Instead of making myself sorry for my poor performance that day , I diverted my attention to our lunch and I made sure that I had taken a big chunk of sea foods on my plate. We enjoyed our buttered shrimps prepared by Jeffrey and the sinigang na bangus on which I opted not to try anymore since this is very much common in the metro.

Though it was sad to accept that I was the clumsiest surfer that day, my eagerness to try it once more grew and my love for this sport never changed. Better luck next time .  (End of Part 2 of my Cantilan Series)

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