please be careful with describing spots awesome or the like. have surfed spots in zambales like san narciso and it was far from awesome. more like weak and mushy. and at times when 4casts were good. maybe you've scored since you live there, but i came upon your invite and was sorely disappointed. sorry but just telling it like it is.

i think since it's not reef breaks and mostly sand bars swells dont' get big and don't last long, surely not awesome.

hi mark,im all for stoke and enthusiasm but not hype or delusion. the zambales breaks have been described as 400m long, world class, etc by this hospitable folk in one site, i forget which.

given same swell n conditons a reef break would give better bigger more consistent wavs than a sand bar, especiually shifty ones like in zambales.

the sand in zambales ive been told by oldtimers used to be firmer and darker, like in la union or pacific coast, but pinatubo added fine dust which made it fluffier, more shifty.  so a change in swell direction or
heavier waves can mess up the bottom pretty easily

the isles like capones hold promise but bancas can't get there when it's pumping

.hope we don't have to wait another 15 years for a good surf   peace 2 all

A film crew announces it's turning up and guys fall over themselves to welcome them, heck even take them to ALL their secret spots. Try that in Cali where you came from, guys. You gotta love this country!!!

Assumed wrong, tubong Pinoy ako. Have visited a lot of spots here, prefer to discover on my own or with a small crew, respecting the locals as i earn their respect. Have been welcomed well. Thanks for the history lesson, but don't you think we need more Lapu-Lapus instead of 300 years of subservience?

I would certainly call it going overboard if someone tells you he'll take you to all their secret spots, even cook for you. Haven't responded to your project as yet. I think it's got an interesting angle and hope it translates to film/vid. Re exposure to other cultures visavis Pinoys', there's always the good and the bad. I hate the ass lickin and corruption here, makes for the quagmire we're in. Love the zest for life despite problems. In my travels, people I've admired are Tibetans and Thais, proud but not arrogant.

John, Pinikpikan performs at Kid Creole in Greenbelt2, Makati. You can get in touch with them thru the staff there or if your not able i'll get their number for you.

Kookie it's the problem of locals I know who have been complaining about guests from Crystal beach resort brought by ZSA to other spots when the waves at Crystal suck. Ok for ZSA to visit but please not with carloads of guests.

You're right John never asked for secret spots and I didn't say he did. The film seems to have more of a homecoming slant anyway and not your typical wave/trick fest.

sent you the cel# of Carol the singer through a PM

Within the 6 days of good surf you claim, I was in tim's point where it was onshore slop. It gets the same swell as Crystal beach, though being a point , waves are better groomed. Yet it was still shitty. I cant imagine how  it would've been at crytsal beach. You surely could though.

I wish you all the luck in helping out your community. You must be an extraordinarily good person since divine intervention seems to bless your spot with unlimited perfection. I, on the other hand, surfing at the same time on a better situated break on the same coastline, got to surf absolute crap.

Before I  started surfing in better spots in La Union and the pacific side, I got to know the Zambales spots pretty well. For about 3  years I went 2-3x/month. Crystal beach, San Narciso, shares the same aspect and gets the same exact swell as the nearby spots I'd surf when there's a good-sized swell. Except crystal is much deeper and being more exposed, the sand bars don't build up well. When a big swell comes in, it churns the bottom topography up again, making it very messy. I would go there  to check conditions but invariably end up going to other spots instead. Even crystal locals do so if they get a chance to hitch in their guests' cars.

As you said a little bulls*&%t never hurt anyone. But ZSA goes for huge servings of bull which do upset people, as in this thread:

http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/Asia/Philippines/Luzon/crystal_bea ch_break/message/index.php3?min=30&max=31

Since it was a public forum I'm reposting part of it here:

>>>I'm Really sorry! by Dodo U. Ramos

3 Apr 2002

To all surfers: Sorry for overstating this spot. Maybe because it's my Homebreak and that's how I feel about the spot. Again sorry for my subjectiveness. If I have a chance, I will be changing some statements to be more objective. Thanx for understanding... Sincerely, Dodo U. Ramos<<<

This was in regard to Dodo's posting that crytal was a word-class wave that goes 500 meters long.

Since you've mentioned "a hundred others" , going back there "again and again and again," your resort must be doing very well, and the community sharing merrily in the spoils. Would you mind extending your charity to fulfill the solemn pledge you gave me when my tires got slashed in Tim's Point:

"In behalf of us here in Zambales we would like to ask your forgiveness for the slashing incident.  I wish to pay for your tire."

I gave you my bank account details, so was hoping the check was in the mail, but that was 10 months ago. Not very hopeful now.

Anyway, to save you the trouble of posting tomorrow, I've spared you the typing so you can concentrate on charitable community work.

The surf in front of Crystal Beach Resort has been having very nice waves for 8 days in a row already. A lot of foreigners and Manila based surfers have not stopped going back to Crystal Beach again and again and again...

Just a few netiquette tips for ZSA/Dodo.

All caps is considered screaming. Emphasis should be on content and not on typeface.

Cutting and pasting your arguments repeatedly within the same thread is redundant and a waste of bandwidth.

Back to the topic: I commented on this thread only because your description of the wave conditions was in direct contrast to my experience of the same swell. I was simply confounded, and i would have let your posts go without question, except that i happened to be there, and had to refute your version.

There is also the matter of hype, and too much of it. Like if Zambales is the Hawaii of Philippine surfing, where does that leave Siargao or Puraran? Maybe they have a lot of pineapples in Zambales?

I guess ZSA/Dodo got so used to the kickass waves of Zambales, that when he represented Zambales in the Cloud 9 comp 2 or 3 years ago, he rode a very memorable heat. Quite distinct was his 1 and only ride, going left on the right-hand barrel, barely making the drop while prone, and continuing on the white wash, still prone. He never paddled back out, and that was the last time I saw him out on the lineup.

Xposer said Zambales had kickass waves,Dodo said world class. So Dodo goes from world class Zambales to Cloud 9 and gets his ass kicked. I would think that surfers used to world class waves can handle Cloud 9. That was my point, and if people see more into that, that's their "massive" problem.

The 2 locals posting here have direct benefits from visiting clients. I know of a lot more locals with no net access complaining about ZSA and their clients, who crowd other spots that break better. These locals also derive no economic benefit since ZSA and their clients go on daytrips, but eat meals and sleep at crystal beach.

I hardly surf Zambales, spending a lot more time in Siargao, Baler, Samar  and La Union. When I do surf Zambales, I sometimes check out the beach breaks but more often than not head for the islands or protected reef spots even ZSA doesn't know about.

So I really don't care if the beach breaks get crowded. I've wished Dodo all the luck in helping out his community, but just ease up on the bull.

Mark Lucas, I didn't say Dodo should have been a standout in Cloud 9. But if he has been surfing and living in front of world class waves as he claims, he could have at least stood up.

Of course he was scared, being used to a beach break with a lot less power and size. But he'd been insisting all along that his home break is world class.

I've actually talked to several of the groups Dodo's mentioned. UP swim team, a few months ago, waist high, mushy. Olin, Siargao surfers, mid last year ,small, onshore. Power-Up last June reported flat to small; volleyball was fun though.  

If Dodo can advertise non truths i can also report on Zambales, except I can back up my posts with specific facts.

Spoonie, I'm not sure I follow your last post. Mind explaining or being more specific?

Spoonie dear, I suggest you use Pilipino or go back to spelling and grammar school.

Spoonfed do us all a favor and concentrate on your work. Pretend to be busy. Quite a feat working on your codecs while  having the time to type 148 inane posts in the short time you've been active here.