Surfing paradise in Eastern Samar Vicente Labro Inquirer
November 10, 2006
GUIUAN, EASTERN SAMAR—Calicoan Island here is positioning itself as a surfing paradise with its white sand beaches and big waves courtesy of the Pacific Ocean.
And its efforts just got a big boost when it played host to the 4th leg of the Philippine Surfing Championship Circuit last Oct. 18-21. Some 64 surfing enthusiasts from different parts of the country competed in a surfing competition that also brought in scores of local and foreign visitors.
“This was the second time the competition was held here in Guiuan,” said Zeny Pallugna, PSF secretary general and event organizer.
The PSF provided the technical staff, judges and tabulators, and invited surfers to join the event. It also promoted the island as a venue for international events.
Headed by Rep. Prospero Pichay, the PSF has started negotiating with the Association of Surfing Professionals in Queensland, Australia on possibly holding an international surfing competition in the waters of Calicoan Island, says Pallugna.
“I was tasked to take photos here (and) make a report about Guiuan because we) are recommending Guiuan to hold an international event in the near future,” she adds the PSF event organizer.
Calicoan is said to have two kinds of waves, the right-hander and the left-hander – surfers can move in to ride a wave from its left or right side.
Contest director Joseph Olinduaso who has been surfing for 17 years, says that the wave in Calicoan had its own character. “Even if the wave is big, it is still friendly to the surfers,” he says.
“They (surfers) can still make certain kinds of maneuvers that the judges are looking for in the competition.”
Olindauso emphasizes: the waves here are ideal for both beginners and seasoned surfers, unlike the waves of Siargao and Catanduanes which are more suitable to skilled surfers.
Among the contestants in the last competition was Dodo Espejon, the winner of the 2005 surfing finals.
The Calicoan surfing competition last year also lured a young boy to try riding the waves. This year that young boy — Dangie Lace, 13, from Sulangan Island, the islet next to Calicoan — formally joined the competition.
