For most Dabaoweyos when you say Surigao del Sur, what immediately comes to mind is Britania Islands in San Agustin or Enchanted River in Hinatuan. Recently, Cortes has been on the tourist map because of the hype from Laswitan Lagoon.
A few municipalities from Cortes and we reach Tandag City, Surigao del Sur’s capital. Lanuza is a few more municipalities and a zigzag coastal road along a cliff overlooking the Philippine sea.
If you go straight too fast on the main highway, you’re likely to miss Lanuza’s poblacion because there aren’t much attention-grabbing welcome signs.
To get to the heart of Lanuza, you’ll take a right along the main highway just as you reach the flat area (after the zigzag road through the cliffs).
Lanuza is a small town up north in the province of Surigao del Sur. It’s basically known as a surf town. An annual surf competition is held every first week of November to welcome the first swell of the season.
It was during our family trip during the Holy Week of 2014 when we passed by into this sleepy surf town in Surigao del Sur on our trip to Laswitan in the municipality of Cortes. I begged my family to drive into Lanuza and then back to Cortes. I wanted to surf. I thought that I could grab a few hours of stoke once we got there.
Without knowing anyone from the town, we just asked locals who were along the highway and they pointed us to the concrete boulevard where Mami’s Surf Camp was located. It was a few hours past 12 noon and it wasn’t full high tide.
I couldn’t see many people out so I wasn’t sure if the beach in front of Mam’s Surf Camp was a surf spot but I did see people with surfboards chilling by the concrete huts by the beach. I went down and asked around the place.
We could have surfed but Papa insisted on not surfing because we only had an hour to spare in Lanuza. By experience, Papa knows that our one hour of surfing isn’t really just an hour. We’d keep on begging for another “last ride”.
It was on the morning of our second day where we surfed Badjang which would turn out to be my favorite spot in Lanuza. It tested my limits and bravery yet it was serenely beautiful all at the same time.
I wrote a piece about Badjang and you can read it from my blog (link at the end of this story.)
Surfing there felt like a welcoming and a gnarly baptism at the same time. Looking back, I was glad we decided to surf Badjang the first morning we got there because the storm hit rest of the week and it wasn’t surfable for people like me anymore.
Searching for nearer spots, I was referred to the spots in front of Mami’s Surf Camp. Aside from Poktoy, this is probably the most well-known spot with two major breaks.
At that time, I could only surf the right break because the current at the left was too strong for me and the locals suggested to try the right for beginners. Although I did try surfing the left because I was a goofy-foot but I listen to locals, they know best.
I never regretted that decision. Surfing at the right-hander break was the next best thing to Badjang!
More about my time in Lanuza next week. For more stories and photos, head over to my blog: www.millennialmermaid.comt of Mami’s Surf Camp.
