Understanding Cloud 9’s Perfection

23I’ve been to Siargao four times in the past two years and it was only during my visit last September that I finally understood Cloud 9’s perfection—the reason surfers keep coming back and why most of their favorite waves are from Cloud 9.

To give you an understanding, in the most non-surfing lingo that I can give, Cloud 9 is right-hander (waves that break towards the right). Dubbed as world-class surf spot, Cloud 9’s hollow, barreling waves break over a reef which naturally gives the spot its distinct wave form.

From the two years that I’ve spent traveling around the Philippines, especially in Mindanao, I’ve gotten to know a few surf spots that would rival Cloud 9 except in consistency. What I mean by this is wave height is dependent on the swell mostly produced by a storm somewhere off in the Pacific Ocean. Siargao’s strategic locations makes it an instant swell magnet and enables its surf spots to produce great waves.

It’s strategic location (facing the Pacific Ocean) plus the way the waves naturally break over the reef gives Cloud 9 the consistency of hollow waves despite the height. Other spots would cease to form hollow waves if the swell isn’t that strong to produce waves more than 3 feet. But Cloud 9, even if it’s a small 3-foot day, the waves are still hollow and if you can fit, you can still get barreled.

Barreled meaning a surfer is able to ride inside the hollow of the wave and come out the other side without wiping out or falling off the board. This kind of surfing takes a certain skill level and definitely not for beginners. That’s why most of the surfers that predominantly surf at Cloud 9 are those who are confident with their skill and courage. If you’ve wiped out before, you’d know what I mean.

Reef cuts and scrapes are the norm when it comes to surfing reef breaks like Cloud 9. Even the professional surfers aren’t exempted from this—the ocean evens us all by never giving us the same wave twice. That being said nobody can truly predict waves with 100% accuracy but there are some skilled beings who, throughout time have learned the wave like their backyard.

With the Philippines being an archipelago with a broken coastline of about 36 289 kilometers, there are surely a lot of others surf spots waiting to be discovered. I’m not sure if we’d find another that could rival Cloud 9’s perfection but if we do, then I hope we can keep it a secret from the rest of the world for a little while so we Filipinos can enjoy it first.

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