The viewing tower
The wave up close.
JupitReyes — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Spraken eboy2887 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · thefool0803 from QC, Philippines — CC BY 2.0 · ChaasPrime — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michael Angelo Luna — CC BY-SA 4.0
The best-known surf wave in the Philippines, and the reason Siargao is called the country's surfing capital. A right-hand reef break famous for thick, hollow tubes, it was found by travelling surfers in the late 1980s and named by an American photographer after a chocolate bar. In front of the beach a long wooden boardwalk runs out over the reef to a two-storey viewing tower, where you can watch surfers up close as they ride inside the wave. The international Siargao surfing cup is held here every year. At low tide the water drains off the reef so you can walk around it, and at sunset the boardwalk is the island's favourite place to watch the sun go down. For those who want to learn, surf schools in General Luna take beginners to easier waves closer to shore, as Cloud 9 itself is for experienced surfers. The big-wave season runs roughly from August to November; the sea is calmer the rest of the year. The reef is sharp, so do not walk on it barefoot.
The wave up close.
The island's best.
Lessons nearby.
General Luna, east coast of Siargao island
Cloud 9 itself is for experienced surfers, but General Luna's schools take beginners to easier waves nearby. Anyone can walk the boardwalk and watch.