SIARGAO ISLAND - SURFING HISTORY

Surfing started in Siargao Island sometime in June 1980. Two young men Tony Arruza, an Australian came to General Luna "in search of a perfect wave". They surfed in that area now known as the "Jacking Horse", near what is now "Cloud 9". Word spread around in the surfing world that there is a secret place in Siargao Island which has a good surf. Intermittently, surfers came and among them was a man who introduced himself as " Max Walker". He surfed the area in what is now "Cloud Nine". He seemed to be a troubled man and this was proven when he died fasting right in the area. "Max Walker" turned out to be the legendary man who founded several surfing camps in southeast Asia, like, Nias and G-Land in Indonesia, his name is John Michael Boyum.

Then in 1992 the world famous surfing photographer John Callahan together with legendary people in the surfing world like, Kevin Davidson, Hogn Slater and Taylor Knox took pictures riding the big surf in " Cloud Nine". Said pictures landed in the surfing magazines in all languages all over the world and - the ball started rolling.

Cloud Nine became so famous that the trickle of surfers became a mass of surfers coming from all corners of the glove. So, in 1995 the local government of General Luna, together with some of the expatriates from Australia organized the first surfing competition dubbed as the "Siargao Surfing Classic"; with the local government shouldering almost all expenses, including the prizes. The event was fairly successful and caught the attention of the world, paving the way for the first "Siargao Surfing Cup in 1996. This year and the years thereafter, the Siargao Surfing Cup will become a regular event in the Island of Siargao and this will surely project the island to the center stage of world surfing and tourism.