Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea
situated 800 kilometers southeast of Manila in the province of
Surigao del Norte. It has land mass of approximately 437 kilometer.
The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port
Pilar. The coastline is marked by a succession of reefs, small
point and white, sandy beaches. The neighboring islands and islets
have similar landforms.



 Siargao Island contains the largest mangrove forest reserves in
Mindanao, at Del Carmen. Long stretches of wetlands indicate a
potential for commercial seaweed propagation. Siargao Island is
greatly influenced by the winds and currents coming uninterrupted
from the Pacific Ocean, intensified by the Mindanao current running
westward through the Siargao Strait.


 Offshore, a classic tropical island lies protected within its
surrounding coral reef with dozens of coconut palms dressed in the
center circle of the island. Off to the right, well within the massive coastal reef,
lies a shining white sand bar, (Pansukian, or Naked island) some 200 meters long. The tide
of Siargao is diurnal with tidal curves typically present, especially on the east coast of
the island.

 The Island's Pacific-facing reefs are situated on the edge of the Philippine Trench, and
the extremely deep offshore waters assure the ocean swells have undiluted power when they
encounter the many coral and rock reefs. Siargao has
excellent surfing conditions, particularly during the southwest "habagat" monsoon from
August to November, when the prevailing wind is offshore.


Cloud 9
 The best known surfing wave on Siargao with a worldwide reputation for thick, hollow
tubes is "Cloud 9". This right-breaking reef wave is the site of the annual Siargao Cup,
a domestic and international surfing competition sponsored by the provincial government of
Surigao del Norte.

 The wave was discovered by travelling surfers in the late 1980s. It was named and made
famous by American photographer John S. Callahan, who published the first major feature on
Siargao Island in the US based Surfer magazine in March 1993, and hundreds of his photos in
many other books and magazines since his first visit in 1992. Callahan has put the island
on the international map and has drawn thousands of surfers and tourists to Siargao.

 There are several other quality waves on Siargao and nearby islands, but Cloud 9 has
received more publicity than any other, indeed in the Philippines as a whole. It is the
only wave easily accessible without a boat, leading to overcrowding and the nickname of
"Crowd 9" among surfers worldwide. Eager foreign and locally owned accommodation and
tourist facilities have profited from the magazine publicity and the influx of visitors
drawn by the annual Siargao Cup competition in September.

 Siargao is well known as "The Surfing Capital of the Philippines". But it's also not a bad
place for many other reasons.

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