Cover the World with Stoke

Super stoked weekend that more than made up for last weekend. It was firing everywhere! Saturday was all about Bacnorth Shore's wild, wild lefts and crazy impact zone if you went right. Stoked, stoked, stoked from my second wave. Tired from walking out and around and paddling back to the peak. The afternoon sesh lasted only 45 minutes but it was sobrang worth it! All of it was so worth it.

Ride of the day and comp champion? Tin Terible and her superdrop! :) Plus, the sunset colored our world bronze. Miko and I were padding back out when this set came through... first wave went to Marky and Phil... next one to Aston. Once they were past us, we resumed paddling... all of us glowing from that killer sunset.

Sunday began with rain. But the rain begat better swell. Heehee. We split the line-up between the Point, Carille and Bacnorth Shore and everyone came back so filled with stoke that if we could've bottled it and sold it, we'd have enough to buy the Indies Trader II. No kidding.

Bacnorth was unbelievable: wild, wild lefts at the rivermouth (shoulder to head high with overhead sets coming in every 15 minutes... and some paddle or die moments and of course, me & Phil sharing some white wash and laughing as we rode past the impact zone)... mellow rights at the pier (shoulder high and clean). Personal ride of the day? The first wave at the pier, dropping and slotting it in... with a mellow right hander peeling along. Haaaay! So much stoke that I dont know what to do with it. I think I might dance for a bit. Hahaha.

Spoiled by the North Swell (so far)

In the last five weeks we've been enjoying an amazing run with the North swell season.

Joncy's Birthday
We kicked the first of a series of long weekends with "the event of the year." It wasn't an official MSA event. But it was a major event without peer... Joncy's Fabulous Fete! Loads of food, a big-screen projector, a sound system and over 30 cases of booze. Yan ang birthday party!

Also over the weekend: super stoked sessions for everyone at both the Point and Bacnotan (Dom/Aya: I used Alexa all weekend!) ... Olracs' birthday... ice cream sessions on the beach (Pinipig Brazo de Mercedes the best!) ... and the boys all trooping down to vote for Kuya Enteng on Monday.

Best conversation of the long weekend?
Buji: Ang sarap ng alon!
Nica: What?
Buji: The waves were delicious!

We drove home Monday night to spend two days in Manila then packed our bags again to head up for another long weekend in La Union.

Reunion Weekend/Surfing Break 2
This particular weekend was a major reunion for me. In attendance were my first ever surf buddies (Daddy Alex, Rico, Al, Ter, Gab, Bjorn Pabon, Pao, Killer, Lui, Mama Amanda), the new crew (the Sarmientos, Gamboas, ToPhil, Del, Marky, Tin Terible etc) and most of the apartment gang (Earl, Roxy, Joncy, Viva, Doc, Adda, Olracs, Quito), the weekend ampons (Isa, Aids, Jam, BJ, Lib)... plus basically almost everyone else. Note to Aya and Dom: I missed you girls super much but I'm glad that you guys had an excellent week in Baler!

One day of 11am to 6pm and then two days of 9am to 6pm in Bacnotan. Ginawang opisina ang Bacnotan e. Hehe. Coolers and pink umbrellas rock! "The Colony" sharing ice, beer, food and stoke. Two "comps" with no rules... except no stretching. Haha. Super fun sessions on Alexa, who is still running faster than I am. But we're getting there, slowly... but we are.

The one and only time I brought out the D-200 was also the one day that the Point looked unphotogenic! Haha. Wild waves for the comp ... as in wild with an h. WHILD. Check my multiply account to gaze at the craziness that was the comp's waves.

Congratulations to the winners of this year's event:
Moro for Men's Open
Kaw Kaw for Expression Session
Bilmar for Grommets

Which brings us to the Back to BacNorth Shore weekend!

Yay! Another surf weekend with good friends, good waves and great vibes!

Scored waves in Bacnotan in between shoot sessions with the Aloha team. Special thanks to Phil, Lemon and Doc Mark, the witnesses of my nice Bacnotan rides. Aya's sexy snap. JP dropping in on Aston thrice in twenty minutes. Bic vs Paddleboard? The paddleboard always wins.

Paddle or die? Paddle! Tired from walking around and paddling back out? Find a longboarder and beg them to tow you for a bit. And never forget to bring your snack box and cooler!

Champion of this weekend's comp: Phil "Switchfoot Ampota" Santiago.

post-script: Nagiinarte ang skin asthma ko at tinatanong na ako sa office kung baket ako mukhang leopard. Halos lahat ng meals namin galing sa de lata kasi sobrang budget na yung weekend namin. Lutang sa opisina ngayon kasi puyat sa biyahe. Pero stoked naman! Woot, woot!

And PLUGGING our surf school: Mayat Ti Daluyon offers surf lessons and board rentals in San Juan, La Union. For more information check out http://tajmoro.multiply.com