RIDING THE WAVES. A surfer rides a wave in Calicoan Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar. The local government unit is firm on bringing back the glory of Calicoan Island as the surfing capital in the Visayas after the successful hosting and return of the national surfing event which started on Tuesday (Oct. 22, 2019). (PNA photo by Roel Amazona)
GUIUAN, Eastern Samar -- The local government unit of this town is firm on bringing back the glory of Calicoan Island as the surfing capital in Visayas after the successful hosting and return of the national surfing event.
The local government revived on Tuesday the 9th Guiuan Odyssey Waves and hosted the Visayas Leg of the National Surfing Competition, the second of the three-leg series.
“We are happy that surfing is back in Guiuan after several years of absence,” Mayor Annaliz Gonzales-Kwan said in an interview in Calicoan.
Guiuan used to host surfing competitions in the past but this was stopped after super typhoon Yolanda on Nov. 8, 2013 flattened the town and destroyed the paradise island of Calicoan, a favorite destination of surfers.
“The local government is determined to restore the surfing competition in this town because tourism has been our main focus,” Kwan said.
The Visayas leg in Calicoan is one of the most attended surfing events organized by the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour (PSCT), according to its president, Luke Landrigan.
“Maybe because the surfers are aware that the waves here are great,” Landrigan said.
Some 160 surfers from the country’s 13 provinces joined the Visayas leg held at the ABCD (Advance Base Construction Depot) Surf Camp. Most participants are from Siargao and La Union.
The event is in partnership with Guiuan local government, Department of Tourism regional office, Philippine Sports Commission, and several private organizations and media firms.
The first leg of the PSCT was held in Siargao and the third and final leg is up in La Union. Most champions in different categories in the Guiuan event are from these two areas.
“The waves here are very competitive. A different ball game for the surfers because more of the waves are going left that's why they are very excited,” said Janice Talosig, PSCT event manager.
Calicoan is one of the islands in Guiuan town. It boasts of miles of white sand beaches. The place has been identified as surfer’s paradise with its powerful swells rolling in from the Pacific over the 10,000 meters Philippine Deep. The season for the best waves is generally from October to March.
In the middle of the island are six lagoons ringed by forest, the largest being 30 hectares in size. At the cliffside margin of Calicoan's forests are dozens of caves. On the northern tip of Calicoan are wetlands like the Everglades, teeming with fish, shrimp, and crabs.
Guiuan town is located at the southernmost tip of Samar Island. (PNA)
