Al my mate has been living in Jakarta for the last ten years and he goes surfing regularly around that part of the world I wont tell locations that will be up to you to find
Cheers

Poor Gia. Not saying anything bad about Luke but poor poor Gia.

Millie get some T-tree oil and put on it. You should put it on as soon as you get the cut but hey it wont hurt using it now. You never get ulcers if you use it I can vouch for that.
Cheers
PS Its still happening down here. Fairly windy but pumping.

No need to answer my posts Scott. If you have one successful trip and post it on the net then before too long everyone will be wanting to do it. No offense but I think it a bad idea unless you are going to donate some of your profits to the local Barrios who's reefs you will be surfing near then good luck to you.
Cheers

No I am not one of the exploitive foreigners as you say and I dont care less if you think that I am. I have put into the Philippine economy close on 300,000 australian dollars over the last 20 years and that does not include the airfares although I have all but once used Philippine airlines to travel there. I am also not concerned about other surfers going to the Philippines as long as they contribute to the economy. A lot of these type of operations are paid for in overseas countries in foreign currencies and only a small portion of monies is used within the country the tour operates with. The problems of the Metawis are well documented and you are probably right that the poverty doesn't exist because of the tour operators but they don't do a great deal to alleviate it either although some of them are making massive profits by using the waves in front of these places. As I have said before if your intentions are honourable and you plan to help out the local communities then go for it if not there is nothing I can or will do about it, but I am entitled to my opinion as you are to yours.
Cheers
PS My wife and 2 children are all Filipino citizens who were born there so I think I have a right to be allowed to go there not that that really is an issue.

Scott I have personally removed the majority of my posts from this site because you are probably right. It is not up to me to sway the minds of the readers in any direction. I am glad to see you have removed from your original post certain paragraphs that could have led some of us to believe that your intentions were not what you were saying. I will give you the benefit of the doubt as you are right I have probably misjudged you as we have never met and I hope your intentions are as you say. I still believe it to be the beginning of the end though. As I have said if you have a successful trip and it only probably needs one and post the results on the net for all to see then others will follow in your footsteps as has been shown through history by all pioneers and they may not be as admirable as you in their intentions. I wont wish you good luck but I wont wish you bad luck either and as we will probably never cross paths I will bid you farewell.
Cheers

Broulee
You are right. The catholic church has a lot to answer for around the world but I honestly dont believe it is the main reason as to why to PI is so impoverished. I dont think to many people are impoverished in Australia or the US or Italy to name a few where the catholic church is a big hit.
You are also right about some of my money going in bar fines. I have never said I was a saint. Also I dont want to fall in love with Luke or get a copy of his photo and I am sure Millie or for that matter my wife wouldn't want me to get into her pants. As for being able to surf I am no Kelly Slater but I have been surfing for 28 years so I have some ability and I sure as hell know what a wave is. Anyway start a post on the Catholic church i'm sure you will get a swag of responses.
Also if the highlight of your trip to the PI was going to Dapa to watch the AFL grand final you must have had a boring trip.
Cheers

anyone up for a chat

go back on line guys

Broulee my dad used to tell me to be honest when I was a kid and if it got me into trouble then so be it. As the majority of us know most of us travelling to the Philippines in the 80's and 90's were going there mainly for the cheap grog and easy girls I was no exception except I had one stipulation when my mate suggested we go there and that was that the place had to have surf or I wasn't going. I have no doubt that a percentage of the people still travelling to the Philippines still go for the same reasons (although I believe both the beer and the girls have become expensive).The Philippine department of tourism has done a very good job over the last ten or so years in promoting the Philippines as a family destination and despite the armed insurgents, threats of terrorism and negative travel warnings from foreign governments tourism seems to be on the rise in the PI. Unfortunately young surfers being what they are full of testorone and bravado treat the place as a brothel with waves not all mind you but as we know quiet a lot which is all well and good if you are visiting Angeles or Poro or a number of other places but it doesnt go down too well in the Province as the Filipinos are strict catholics in a strange sort of way and the older people dont take too kindly to foreign boys romancing their daughters then p##sing off never to return. Considering the majority of surf spots are in remote regions where farmers still tend their rice or Coconut plantations a massive influx of surfers would be detrimental to these areas wouldn't you think.
I have apologized to Scott for my rantings in a private email and if his intentions are as he says that he only wants people to assist him in paying for his surf travels for a couple of months a year then good luck to him. I am sure we would all like that.
One thing though Scott which I can't let go of without voicing my opinion is this comment you made.

What we should be more concerned about is a high capacity land based operation affiliated with a big surf travel tour company.  If you have a small hotel with 20 rooms each cable of housing 4 Tokyo city surfers that’s potentially 80 kooks looking to surf the waves in front of the hotel or within a short banca ride away.  Cheap package deals run 5-7 days and are booked all year round.  So, that would be 52 tour slots or potentially 4,000 surfers every year to surf a very small area of Siargao. Even if the hotel/tour package was only operating at 10% capacity that would still be 400 surfers. Have I made my point?

If it is OK for you to do it albeit it on a smaller scale why is it wrong for them to do it?
Sorry for boring the crap out of you
Cheers
PS what exactly is a kook is it someone who goes to another persons country to go for a surf?

Looking at the news last night you could surf on Roxas boulevarde at the moment. Looks like a big typhoon somewhere will be pumping. Hey Al hows the wind and rain in Manila just another July day I would think with stronger winds.
Take care.
Cheers

Douglas I pay between $1 and $2.50 for wax in Australia. (0.65 - 1.65 in USD)It may be more expensive in South Australia because there is less of a market for it down there.
Sponj we have a brand called coconut wax over here. I had to stop using it because I would keep taking little bits off my board and chew it when I was surfing it smells that good.
Hope your all getting wet we are over here.
Cheers

Cranking left hand pits may be hard to find but Agnes is right you are better trying Daet if you want some waves. You havent given yourself much time to explore Samar so good luck.

Hey Millie still onshore down here maybe tomorrow. Swells around the 4-5ft mark. You see this months tracks yet nice photos from the October typhoon swell in the PI that should start the crowds rolling in. Hope they all know you dont get waves like that very often. How long you going to be in the PI?
Jerry happy birthday mate.Those tamales sound alright.
Al hope your back in the water.
Bryant you still out there.
Agnes hows Virac and Sponj hope all is well.
I'm not going to comment on the longboarder thing that's even too controversial for me. If you dont drop in and you have respect who gives a f#@k what type of thing you ride.
Hope you are all getting wet
Cheers

Hey Millie
Yeh my kids were born in the PI and both have duel citizenship. In Oz if one of your parents is an Aussie citizen then you automatically get citizinship. I dont know if it works that way in the PI you should ask the Philippine Consulate in Brisbane they should be able to fix it up for you. Best to have both passports so that you dont have to pay the travel tax as well as the departure tax when you leave.
Jerry seems like you guys get a lot of big surf in your neck of the woods.
Still onshore and crap here. Maybe tomorrow
Cheers Mark

Millie you should still be entitled to get a Balikbayan visa even if you travel alone. Show them one already in your passport and tell them you are visiting your relatives I am fairly sure you can do this.
Cheers
PS Surf is pumping.

Alona I dont think whether or not it is a reef setup or a beach break has anything to do with how big the surf can get or how long it lasts. Also I had a surf in Zambales about 15 years ago and maybe I lucked in but it was almost as good as any I have had anywhere else in the PI. Zambales like everywhere else in the PI is reliant on typhoon swells and good wind conditions and unlike most of the more well known spots the place doesnt really sit in the swell paths. On its day like anywhere else in the world it would be pumping. One last thing the majority of Pinoys are just learning to surf so what is awesome to them may not be to you or I. Let them describe it anyway they like. Remember if you go at the wrong time to any surf spot in the world you will be disappointed. Australia, Indo and Hawaii dont always have waves do they.
Cheers
Surf is pumping down under.
PS I prefer surfing by myself we really dont have anything to prove to others we surf for enjoyment dont we. Surfings not supposed to be cool.

Hi Agnes how was the trip. Successful I hope.
The pics in this months tracks were very inviting and it looks like Scott and John have come across another fine setup in the PI. They make one comment that is a little disturbing in the article though which I will add wasnt written by either John or Scott and that was this wave should dispel the myth of the Philippines being known as the fickle Pines. One decent swell doesnt change the place. The "Superwave" (where do they get these names) will be no more consistant than any other place in the PI and it looks to be a place that experienced surfers should only attempt. I couldnt imagine good hospital facilities to be close at hand but I could be wrong. The other drawback is that if you dont go with Scott you probably will never find it. I am sure they are not going to divulge the whereabouts for a while at least. I am sure on their day there would be over a hundred spots breaking like that in the PI the trick is to be there when its happening. Unfortunately most of us probably have to work to get by in life so we cant spend eternity waiting for the right swell to happen and unfortunately in the PI it could take an eternity.
Anyway the place had to eventually open up to surfers and as you and I both know Agnes there is a better place than the "Superwave" to surf although I dont think you can surf it at 15foot but then again I didnt see any 15footers in the pics in tracks either. Nor were there any pics of Andy King taking off on the peak which means the place must be super heavy because Andy has no problems mixing it up in the big stuff. You can probably look forward to the pros wanting to surf the place now which will open up the country possibly like what happened in Indo. The thing most people will like is that there is only about 30 local surfers in the country. Going by the people on this post I can imagine there are a lot more than that but maybe if you are not a local at Cloud Nine then you are not a true Filipino surfer. Who knows.
Surf is still OK in this part of the world.
Cheers

Very synical Jerry Im sure there are plenty of yet to be discovered places in the PI. I suppose if someone comes across a particular setup and doesnt tell anyone about it then the next person to come along probably thinks they discovered it Im not sure how that works. Anyway how many 15ft plus swells have you seen in all your travels to the PI, I personally have only seen 2 and a couple of mates who are regular travellers have yet to see a massive swell (rideable one that is)so if people flock to the PI because of a front page photo in tracks then unfortunately the majority of them will probably be disappointed. Then again maybe the new surf explorer has a magic wand to wave and the swell instantly comes up. Who knows? I certainly dont.
Email me the pic and I will get my mate to ask the tracks editor why he says they discovered it although I am not sure they actually said that.
Cheers hope the swell has dropped in Oregon so you can go surfing.

Hey guys.
Jerry email me your address and I will send you a copy.
Cheers

Hi all wishing everyone a safe and prosperous holiday period and for those of you who have to work I hope the swell is pumping on the days you have off.
Cheers

Punk your right about Philippine airlines. When my wifes mother died she wanted to change her departure date so that she could stay for the wake and they told her she could gladly do that as long as she paid extra for the priviledge. This was after she explained the reason to them. So much for compassion. Anyway I will still use them they are a better airline than Qantas and I am saying this from experience before you all get on the bandwagon. I have had over 40 international flights with PAL and 10 with Qantas over the years and PAL is the better

The only sharks you guys in the PI need to worry about are the ones that approach you on the street. There are enough surfers in South Oz and South Africa and the states to keep the big ones well fed
Theres only one way to avoid sharks and thats stay out of the water. Statistically more fish and seals get eaten by sharks every year so I think we are fine.
As for peeing in your wettie those of you who have surfed in cold water will know the joy you get when doing so.
And stripes on a board I don't think a tiger sharks going to be too bothered with that one.
Cheers

A justifiable opinion Al

Al I believe they stole some of the photos from this site too. Actually I dont believe it I know it considering some of them are mine.