10 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT SIARGAO, PHILIPPINES.

1. The first recorded sighting of Siargao Island was way back in 1543, by European boats and a Spanish navigator named Bernardo de la Torre, when they were trying to get back to ‘New Spain’ from Sarangani province. He even called the island “Isla de las Palmas” or Palm Island in Spanish.

2. There are 94,270 people inhabiting and preserving the island. Siarganons main source of livelihood are from tourism, farming and fishing, as the island is blessed and rich in marine life.

3. Siargao Island is in the western part of the Philippines province of Surigao Del Norte. The island has nine Municipalities, namely: General Luna, Burgos, Dapa, Pilar, Socorro, Del Carmen, San Isidro, San Benito, and Santa Monica.

4. Siargao Island particularly in the municipality of Del Carmen has the largest mangrove forest reserves in Mindanao.

5. In 1980, the simple municipality of General Luna, now home to the surfing paradise of Cloud 9, was discovered by Steve Jones and Tony Arruza. They were in search of what they called the “perfect wave.” They called it the “Jacking Horse” as its waves are so exceptional that they couldn’t be compared to others.

6. For 12 years Siargao didn’t made a mark in the world, and only few surfers knew about the island. Not until in 1992, when a famous photographer surfer named John Callahan visited Siargao. He photographed and published a story featuring famous surfers Taylor Knox, Kevin Davidson and others, managing to surf the huge waves in General Luna (Cloud 9). That publication then circulated and spread like a wildfire all over the surfing world.

7. Since then, the numbers of tourists are growing, as well as hotels, resorts, restaurants, shops and various water related activities available in the Island. An Annual Surfing Competition also happens in Siargao, boosting the tourism boom even further.

8. To visit the paradise island, just book a flight via Manila (MNL), or Cebu (CEB), with a connecting onward flight to Siargao (IAO). The best time to visit the island for surfing is between September and December, when waves are bigger than summer. Nonetheless, Siargao is a year-round travel destination. 

9. With its perfect sunrises and sunsets, majestic waves, caves, lagoons and other sights, Siargao Island has been listed by many news and travel websites as one of the best island and surfing spots in the world.

10. A number of songs have been inspired by Siargao, including from Eddie Florano and the Red-Hot Chili Peppers after Anthony Kiedis – the front man of American funk rock band last visited in 2014. Siargao Island has also been featured in local and international documentaries, TV shows, as well as movies. The most popular one is the self-titled 2017 Philippine surf-romance movie directed by Paul Soriano.