Body Surfing - Cagayan Valley

Body Surfing eh? You've probably done it before without realizing it. It's the art of riding  waves without the use of a buoyancy device. It's a form of making love with the water. Fun right?!

While it can be scary for the first time, because you're going to need tall waves (and most of them are pretty strong), the experience is exhilarating. It requires proper timing so you have to practice. You also need to control your nerves and remain calm even if you get squashed under the water. Most importantly, you need to know how to swim or at least float.

During my pre-teens, me and several cousins spent some time at Claveria Beach in Cagayan Valley. It's at the tip of the municipality of Claveria, just across the Babuyan Channel.

Early morning, we'd walk to the ocean to play with the waves - twice as tall as we are, and wait until it's a few feet in front of us. On queue, we'd jump as high as we can and glide with the waves. If we don't get it right, we get sucked under, devoid of air for a few seconds but by maintaining composure, we would eventually make our way up and survive. Other times, when we fail to meet with the waves at the correct angle, we get hurled back to the shore, towards small rocks. Pain is temporary but the fun was twice as much, so we'd go home slightly scathed and bruised but with huge smiles on our sunburned faces.

I learned from reading several blogs that the town of Claveria is slowly developing as a tourist hub, though not as bustling as Pagudpud, which makes it an ideal, adventurous, quiet escape.

Some photos below - (note that these are from a previous trip in La Paz, Ilocos Norte and not from Cagayan). Thanks to Monette for these photos! :) 




And here's a cool  Body Surfing video I found on You Tube: 



Learn about Body Surfing here.

For accommodations and what else to see around Claveria, please visit IronWulf.

Disclaimer : While body surfing is ultra fun, please always take necessary precautions and do it with a buddy who can  swim and remain composed during emergencies. Swimming is useless under a panic attack. 

Past adventures

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