Shell Business Service Center: US Lubricants (Retail)

Retail Lubes Team

It’s too far me to hold…

Partas Transportation Co., Inc

 It’s been a while since I last surfed, and I’m still dazed by the event last weekend. I am stuck at work and home routine, everyday. However I always find time to check the swells up north if there are waves possible to catch, thanks to WetSand. I realized that every time I went home to my hometown it consumes most of my time on the road. I don’t really care how long does it take to travel from La Union to Manila, but for the other way around it kills me. It’ll take me 6-8 hours going to La Union from Manila if it’s a day trip and 4-6 hours if it’s after 12 midnight. A lot of things can happen on the swell with that span of time. Sometimes, I leave Manila with a lot of hype expecting to have a good swell from the last time I checked the forecast. Then suddenly become bum when I passed through spots where I expect something good but nothing. I asked myself… Did I miscalculate on something?

Cabanaroan Locals: Morning Chat

Just so you know, tides changes every 4-6 hours. I don’t need a book or something for this because I was born and raised at a place where you access the ocean whenever you want. But I might be having a little rust with these things since I moved in the city.

It’s too far for me to hold at one point but will definitely bring back my rhythm again.

 

Holcim Ltd. Port: Sitio Cabanaroan, Quirino, Bacnotan, La Union

Another lonely but quite happy weekend…

I took a time-off from work last Friday (July 20, 2012), hoping to get a pretty good surf that weekend. Unfortunately, there were mixed-up on plans. My buddy planned to have his birthday celebration at Marilao Bulacan on a Saturday, and we stayed there up until Sunday morning due to hell of a rain caused by a tropical depression that became a typhoon. I end up sick over the weekend. I had fun, with smiles on my face. Until Sunday afternoon when I received a text message from my Papang telling that there were group of surfers and some celebrities on our turf enjoying glassy waist to shoulder waves. I was in despair of that event, asking myself… I could’ve been there?

Unfortunately, even my brother missed that once a year opportunity. He went home Monday afternoon and doesn’t have enough time to surf. But he saw familiar group of surfers leaving the scene and had a smile on their faces claiming that they had a pretty good session at “Backyard”. I’ve seen their pictures on their blogs and I can say that it was a good session they had. Now I’m pissed because I wasn’t there, it’s a once a year opportunity and I missed it. But at least I’m happy, because there were group who had hand’s full of the experience.

I’m beginning to think that Backyard was a bit disappointed at me relocating here in Manila. She’s a bit disappointed that no one is looking after her. She’s a bit disappointed that there’s no one sharing drama with her every time there’s an opportunity like that. Maybe she’s just giving me a lesson that moving out of La Union was a big mistake. I hope not, because it’s my hometown and I can always come home every time I want. Or maybe she’s just suffering from separation anxiety? Well, we don’t know. I still remember the times when I was surfing typhoon swells at Backyard and there’s no one to share the joy and drama of every ride I had but itself. Surfing alone was a bit lonely, but my brother and I got used to it. It doesn’t matter skipping classes just to surf before.

Honestly, I miss our Backyard that’s why I’m lonely. But I’m quite happy because there were guys who sure had fun.

Passion for surfing and culture...

The face of the next generation that will surf Backyard. Angelica "Lyka" Palencia (Photo by: Joshua Dizon)

The face of the next generation that will surf Backyard. Marcus Reef "Cocoy" Navalta (Photo by: Laurie Anne De Guzman)

People have different passion. Passion they prioritize more than anything else. Sometimes, they are willing to risk their needs and put themselves in danger just to keep up with their passion. But somehow, it seems to make it really satisfying once it’s done.  They might end up hyped on that event, will sync-in for a while then probably worry about the consequences after. What can I say?! It’s just the way it goes, we can’t think right if we want something really bad.

Surfing was introduced to me way back, with my older brother’s influence. I remember him dragging us to 5-6 ft reef break surf, with no clue what might happen. Even basics of surfing wasn’t instill to us that time, as long as we know how to swim and that’s it! I was the guinea-pig during our early years of surfing, I remember myself paddling to 5-6 ft surf free-leash. It was a shallow reef break, and the volume of waves produced was massive. I didn’t stood up at our 7 ft “gun” surfboard that day, but even though I was wiped-out pretty bad it was a hell of experience. I was lying on our board the whole time, but still the feeling was adrenaline pumping. It’s difficult to foresee set of waves at reef break; it would depend where the swell was coming from. You’re lucky surfing to 3 waves in a row per set with intervals of 15 minutes, but for 5-6 waves in a row per set? You might end up gasping out and possibly drowning. That’s where importance of paddling comes in play. Paddling has an important role in surfing, maintaining the center of gravity and balance on your board was just a fluke. You definitely can’t surf if you don’t know how to paddle! Ask any other surfer and I guarantee that they will come to agree. When catching a wave or even passing through a wave that has broken or about to break, you need to use every reserved strength and energy in your body to paddle and put yourself to a safe spot. Paddling and Duck-diving [to push one’s surfboard (usually a short board) underwater nose-first, to get the surfer and board under a wave that has broken or is just about to break] are your best weapons when passing through a wave. Your survival instincts and courage are needed as well, especially during wipe-outs. Famous Hawaiian surfer/lifeguard once said; “Surfing is the easiest part, surviving is a different story”.

Creating a good line with the wall. (Photo by: Josper Cacanindin)

(Photo by: Josper Cacanindin)

Surfing became my passion since the first time my brother and I went to that shallow reef break and attempted to surf those huge set. My brother even named it Lan-lan’s Point. There’s a different kind of feeling every time I’m on the water, surfing. Also, it’s a different kind of beating every time I got sucked from a barrel and got wiped-out. It’s like being pounded by five heavyweight fighters, no kidding! But every time you survive in that kind of situation, it was so glorified that you tend to go back in the line-up and catch a bigger wave. Sometimes, typhoon swells give me chills. Not because there’s typhoon coming but the excitement to surf huge waves. We’re lucky enough to have our own turf. We have a river mouth and a beach break, including shallow reef break. But during typhoon swells, our beach break called Backyard was the place to surf. It can produce overhead surf sometimes double, left hander and right hander surf depending on the sandbar at the bottom scattered by water current coming from the river. Usual surf spots in La Union cannot hold typhoon swells to create a surfable wave. Our Backyard is hugged in a cove so as the typhoon swell enters; it’ll be filtered by two outside reefs, causing long walls and 100 – 200 meters of surf ride. We were the only locals at Backyard and every typhoon swells we share the drama to ourselves. Imagine yourself surfing alone in a beautiful place; no one is around to share the joy of riding wonderful sets created by typhoons, where usual spots on usual day have a crowded line-up approximately 10 – 40 surfers on the beach fighting for a set.

Every local’s responsibility is to protect their turf. There’s always called a comfort zone for everything. Backyard is my comfort zone when it comes to my passion. It feels like I’m free every time I surf at my turf, it makes my focus at its peak. There were few people who know the place, and we don’t have any intensions of exploiting it. It’s a local’s pride to protect their turf. You got to respect that, it’s like having your own room. There were some spots in La Union that were pretty much exploited by the sport and culture, establishments here and there, visitors crash and put camps, bonfire and beers, and at the end of the day with all those joy and experience they got from the place they don’t even give a care. I’m hoping to those who do that; they should look at things on different perspective, or ask themselves… Is it going to be worth it? As for me, everyone should respect what others respect and be sensible.

With all those being said and told, respecting the sport and its culture will be the greatest, if not, the best thing to do.  As a surfer and protector of Mother Nature, let’s all protect something that is the lifeline of our existence. We can’t surf for the rest of our lives. I guess it would be satisfying to see young generations ripping the waves. Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them. What you choose to do with them is up to you.

No one can turn back the clocks so they could do it all over again.