All the luster of your bones, those arms that held you strong.

Disclaimer: This is not a blog entry about surf. I am not here to tell you about the wave conditions last weekend, or how stoked everyone was. This is an entry about a feeling, a primal feeling that I was reminded of last Saturday. This is not a blog entry about surf. You have been warned.

Manong Lemon

The forecast last weekend was 5-6 feet if I'm not mistaken. For a beginner like me, seeing these figures is intimidating as it is, but it's a whole new different story when you paddle out and meet the ocean.

Hi, ocean.

It wasn’t until I reached the lineup when something dawned on me. At first I thought it was the coffee kicking in, or the cold water against my rashguard-less skin. It took me a while before finally recognizing it. Fear. Primal, gripping, cold fear. It’s not that I haven’t been afraid before. It’s just that I know fear in the context of the abstract – fear of failure, that something will not go my way, that I’ll never have it figured out. But that Saturday morning session was different. As someone who's used to surfing small waves, head-high to overhead sets were enough to scare me out of my wits. For the first time in a long time, I felt fear for a real, physical, literally in my face danger. 

Jeff Dela Torre

I kept on paddling out whenever a see a set coming because of fear. I kept on bailing whenever I’m about to drop on a wave because of fear. I kept on staying on the outside – where I felt a little safer, but where my paddling power is not enough to catch a wave. The heavy rains, the occasional thunder, the perpetual gloom and the fact that I am using a much thinner board did not help either. “Why the hell am I here”, “why did I even start surfing”, “I should have been at home reading a new novel” were just some of the things running in my head that time.

Jay-R Esquivel

In between sets, I found ways to amuse myself. Watching Tito Phil and Kalua surf those waves so effortlessly was jaw-dropping. The sight of a thousand raindrops kissing the ocean, the beauty of a breaking wave and offshore wind, Karla and Tito Tonet with me in the lineup – yes, not every session will leave you stoked, but surfing is definitely one of the most amazing things a person can and should experience.

Benits!

Sunday morning gave us more humane and forgiving waves. I decided to stay a little more on the inside, decided to paddle for “bangon na bangon” waves (since I realized they are soft and they break slowly), decided to be a little braver than the day before. I was rewarded with a couple of long lefts, nothing photo-worthy, just enough to make me smile in the lineup. 

Bilmar. Two years bro! ;)

I know I have a LOT of things to work on – stronger paddling, right timing, faster pop ups. But at least now, I know something that I did not know last week. I cannot do all these without conquering fear first.

Shaken and still,
Miccah

Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

I'm no goofy but I have always loved the south swell. For two years now, the promise of waves after the summer drought arrived on my birthday. It's far from an epic swell but I've had my surf fix on my birthday weekend, and it's consistently satiating. Satiating and reassuring.

But south swell tends to overpromise at times. It's like seeing a long-lost friend, catching up over the weekend only to find him missing come Monday. It's like a game of all or nothing - either you score a session that's one for the books, or you go back to Manila short of your much needed stoke. 

Or you can make the most out of whatever the ocean gives you.

Ana Abad Santos

The forecast for the Maui and Sons Surf Kalikasan Project looked good enough. We at the Manila Surfers Association consulted the locals and all possible forecast sites. We've discussed the swell, the logistics, the pros and cons of moving the event date before coming to a decision - let us risk it than wonder if there will be any waves in the next weekends. 

Camille Pilar

Come Saturday, we were welcomed by knee to waist-high sets, at best. No matter how hard I tried to get a good angle and make the waves look a bit bigger, perspective can only do so much. But we all tried to look at the brighter side of it - it could have been flat. Given the right mindset, those ankle-snappers were gems. 

Paddle battle. Tin Terible, Barbi Cruz, Julie Tagulinao, Ana Abad Santos

Our respect goes to all the competitors last weekend. We know that given the right swell, you all could have given us a visual spectacle of cutbacks, cross-steps and soul archs. But to surf tiny waves during low tide and still kill it? Mad, mad respect for everyone.

Sean Nino

All my co-officers would agree that organizing a surf competition can be extremely tiring. But cliche as it may sound, loving what you do makes you wake up at five a.m., run around to get things done and sacrifice some surf and drinking time.

Vinni Sanchez

Saying we had good waves would be pushing it too far, but the support and participation shown by everyone more than made up for the lack of swell.

Kim Jones

I am ending this blog entry with a few of my favorite surf shots, and the feeling of pride to be part of such an amazing team. See you guys in the post-party!

Paco Fernandez

Buji Libarnes

Ejay Ventura

Paolo Soler

For the official set of event photos, please click here.

Like the Manila Surfers Association page and the Maui and Sons page!

Now, to work on my watermark and a proper blog lay-out. :)

Miccah

Live a little. Die a little.

What got me stoked last weekend:

1. Good music by the beach. Perfect way to cap off a paddle-'til-you-pass-out Saturday session in Bacnotan. 

Julianne

Soju

Quest

When you're lucid, you're the sweetest thing.

It was an unplanned surf trip, the kind that makes you hop on the bus half-heartedly, thinking of the shitload of work you left in the office, and the big possibility of your mom scolding you for yet another weekend not spent at home.

But friendship is friendship at all costs. One of my closest friends in the surf circle is going to LU and I cannot not go because I haven't seen her in months. Also, I was still hungover on my birthday weekend so to fight the urge to go back was simply pointless.

But life indeed has a way of surprising you. To this day, I still consider this gloomy June weekend as the time I got stoked the most. I was laughing (note: laughing, not smiling) so hard during my rides that I keep on losing my balance and getting wiped out. And under that overcast San Juan sky, with a borrowed Canon telephoto lens, I took my first surf shots and immediately, I fell in love with surf photography.

It was a dull and dreary afternoon and there was no speck of beautiful light when I started shooting Benito. He is, however, a surf photographer's dream. His cross-steps and nose rides more than made up for the lack of sunshine.

This was also the weekend I met Tito Tonet, president of the Manila Surfers Association, "tito ng bayan", MSA wingman, race car driver (during weekends) and one of my most favorite people in the surf circle. He would always scold me for paddling like a girl, but he would also be there to cheer me up whenever (I look like) I'm on the verge of crying in the line-up. Hehe.

Some more snaps of LU locals Jhenard, Ricky and Peryong shredding it out in the beach break.

I'm ending this post looking at blunt magazine's 4th issue on my bedside table. Last year, I was looking at their photos online and I told myself "someday, I'll shoot like these guys." Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. All I know is, the sound of the shutter makes me happy, and I don't mind spending hours to get the perfect shot and I will always be excited to learn new things about this little invention made to capture light, and I'm not stopping any time soon. 

Back to regular programming soon,
Miccah

That Wednesday Session

It was one of those days at Point when upon reaching the lineup, you immediately tell yourself it's a bad idea to get out. After one nasty wipeout, I decided to paddle in and not push my luck, which turned out to be a good call because:

1. I heard someone got out with a broken board that morning. It could have been Luna. What with my amazing whitewater surfing skills and all.

2. I was able to shoot! I haven't taken a single shot since I arrived. Sunday - Monday was flat AKA no waves to surf, no surfers to take photos of. Tuesday was so beautiful I wanted to marry it AKA no shoot, just surf. Small, fun waves, easy paddle out. I was out of the water just to eat lunch. It got a bit windy in the afternoon but we didn't mind. After all, we have to take whatever the ocean gives us, yes?

So here are some snaps of LU surfers taking advantage of what was said to be a one-day swell at the bowl. 

Kuya Textback Dalora from Samar

Never Look Back

I surf because it heals me.

Perfection is overrated

Sometimes, you don't have to get everything right.

From top to bottom: Portraits of La Union surfers Fernando, Christian and Haniwell 
shot in unintentionally low shutter speed

Still surf-deprived,
Miccah

Love Like a Sunset

Here comes, a visible horizon.

Right where it starts and ends.

Oh, and then we start the end.