It rained the morning of my arrival, which was unsurprising given it was the peak of the rainy season. So, when the sun finally broke out of the grey sky and offered a warm greeting, I welcomed it with open arms and rushed to a sunbed, where I spent the next three hours reading and napping. Some people might argue that three hours is an excessively long time to be doing nothing. But when you pair that with an unbeatable panoramic view of the beach, the harmonious crash of the waves, and the rhythmic rustle of coconut trees, you will soon realize that three hours is an awfully short time.
As the sun continued to scrub the sky clear of the storm and bake the damp sand with its heat, I stepped away from the comfort of the resort and went on a midday walk along the shore of General Luna. The footsteps that I left behind were quickly washed away by the waves, while random splashes kept my clothes perpetually wet.
Suddenly, a relatively large, green buko fell from the sky and slammed right into the beach, leaving a deep crater in the dense sand a few inches away from two girls sunbathing. Normally, when I'm on a photo walk, I try my best to go unnoticed, but that was a pretty dangerous situation that could have gone extremely wrong. Prompted by a sense of local duty, I spoke out and suggested that it's best if they move to the empty tree next to them, as a few remaining clusters of coconuts were still hanging off the one they were lounging under. I don't know if there was a language barrier or if they simply didn't care, but they only nodded, looked at the fallen coconut, and continued sunbathing as if they hadn't just almost been killed by a rogue coconut. Okay, a little dramatic – but getting hit by a falling coconut could seriously injure you. Left in disbelief, I shared knowing glances with a nearby resort worker at the absurdity of the situation. Realizing they probably do not care about the unspoken rules of the tropics and simply want to live their best yolo life, I shrugged it off and left them to their own devices.
As I continued my journey forward, I found a group preparing to take on the late-afternoon waves. I asked if I could join, and true to Siargao’s laidback culture, I was met with that signature throaty, low, and long “yeeeeah” that surfers tend to have. If sound were cursive, that would probably be it. Not long after, I was handed a surfboard that was a little taller than I was. After a quick dry-land demo, I hopped on and rode the waves until the sky started crying again and covered itself with its heavy, grey blanket.
Okay. That last part isn't exactly true, but I wanted to sum up my Siargao experience from that single encounter, and I was missing the crucial surfing element. Did you really go to Siargao if you didn’t surf? So, let's just pretend that I actually did that afterward. Thank you.
So that encounter pretty much summed up my Siargao experience – breathtaking views, late afternoon surfs, occasional downpours, and immaculate vibes that are so relaxing that your survival instincts get drowned out, and you actively choose to play with your life under a tree with clusters of coconuts still hanging off it when a perfectly bare one is unoccupied just three meters away from you – but hey, what is life without a little sprinkle of crazy?
Anyway, enough about coconuts. After a few days on the island, here are some of my favorite photos that I took with my Fujifilm X-T5 paired with a Fujinon XF23mm F2 R WR lens.
A dense mangrove forest and deep, emerald waters make space for a parked kayak on the narrow shore of Sugba Lagoon.A surfer carries his surfboard across the sand while a couple sunbathes in the background.A guy jumps off the rocky ledge of a cliff at Magpupungko Rock Pools as a crowd gathers around to watch.A traditional Filipino hut nestled amidst lush tropical greenery.Two surfers carrying their longboards together under the midday sun.A tour guide carries lifejackets along the rocky Magpupungko shoreline.Sign reading “CAUTION: SLIPPERY ROCKS” rests among brooms and fallen coconut shells.A local stands atop a bamboo beam to repair the thatched roof of a traditional Filipino hut.
A few people walk past the rocky flats as waves move toward the distant coastline.Two travelers stop at the Coconut View Deck to look out over a valley of coconut palms.A free coconut tree that is safe for afternoon naps.
P.S. I'm kidding. Resting under a coconut tree is a top-tier experience. I just hope some people realize the dangers of it. Instead of blindly napping under the first one you see, maybe check if coconuts are hanging. If there are, choose a different one. If you really can't find one, feel free to gamble and pray to the universe and the gods above not to let a random coconut be your end.
