Since 2015, I’ve always wanted to see the fabled surf town of Lanuza in Surigao del Sur. Barely five hours away from Surigao City, the jump off towards Siargao Island, Lanuza could somewhat be called its little cousin. With numerous surf spots to choose from and budget-friendly accommodation, Lanuza definitely earned the “Must Visit Again” pin on my map.
I got to visit Lanuza for the first time, early February of this year and again in April with Team Taki. For the third time, I’m coming back to my favorite surf town for the second leg of the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour (PSCT). This November 5 to 11, the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival will once again invite surfers from all over the Philippines to compete in its revered river mouth of Doot Poktoy.
Established more than a decade ago, The Lanuza Surfing Festival is one of the most celebrated surfing events in the country. Lanuza’s famed Doot Poktoy surf spot, one of the longest right hander waves in the country located on the Pacific seaboard, is the perfect venue for our Filipino surf athletes who are vying to claim the first PSCT Lanuza title.
Now on its 15th year, the Lanuza Surfing Festival has evolved as a premiere national surfing event in Surigao Del Sur catering to both longboard and shortboard surfers. The event also became an avenue to promote its other tourist attractions such as the Magkawas Falls, Campamento Cave and Silop Cold Spring, which make Lanuza a complete surf holiday destination.
The 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival has five categories which are Men’s Shortboard Open (Grade 2 sanctioned contest), Women’s Shortboard Open, Men’s Longboard Open, Women’s Shortboard Open, and Grommets.
With Php570,000.000 total prize money, this year’s surfing festival is definitely one that you wouldn’t want to miss either as a competitor or as a witness. Majority, if not all, of the best surfers from the first leg of the PSCT in Siargao last September.
I’m personally excited to witness the best Filipino surfers battle it out in this leg. Doot Poktoy is famous not because of it’s perfect right handers but also because of its challenging current being right beside a river. This spot, during the surf season, is not for the faint of heart.
The first time we had a surf trip here, we ended up leaving Lanuza with a broken longboard. Really not a spot for the fain of heart but again, if you don’t risk it, you’ll never know what you’re capable of.
As the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival officially opens tomorrow at sunrise with the first round, we’ll find out just how many surfers registered and from which parts of the county they came from.
Will Siargao leg champion Philmar Alipayo defend his title or will another surfer from the top 16 ranks find his way to the top? Watch out next week to see the highlights from the competition. Read more at www.millennialmermaid.com
