I went to Baler, Philippines last week, and here’s a bit of a ramble—if anyone’s interested.

Baler is a coastal town on the same island as Manila, surrounded by mountains, with a long beach called Sabang. It’s perfect for longboarding, but the locals can also absolutely tear it up on shortboards.

Not many Westerners go to Baler on holiday at all, and that’s one of the reasons I loved it. Most of the locals speak good English, and the other Filipinos on holiday there do too. Everyone is really friendly, and the vibe in the water is great.

It’s not a party place like Siargao. There’s a block party at the local café every Friday with DJs, but that’s about it. That said, the week I went happened to be Kook Fest, which is their local surfing festival, with a surf competition and lots of categories—so there was definitely more of a party scene if you wanted it.

Surfing in Baler

I got a surf guide on the first day just to understand the beach break a bit better. Lessons are around £6.50 per hour, and board rental alone was only slightly cheaper, so I ended up surfing with him every day.

I caught more waves than I ever have before.

Sabang Beach is amazing because it’s so long that the lineup is never crowded during the week—not like Imsouane or the Tamraghte points in Morocco—and it’s not hostile in the water at all.

The Competition

On day three, Pat (my surf guide) convinced me to enter the comp in the intermediate category.

In this category, competitors were allowed a caddy to paddle out with them and help call waves. This really appealed to me—it sounded like fun being part of a team—and entry only cost about the same as two lessons.

Anyway, we did it and made it to the semis… and then I flopped, lol. But I’m so, so glad I competed. I was really happy with the outcome, especially considering I hadn’t surfed for over three months. I had such a great week with everyone.

Final Thoughts

I’ll definitely be returning to Baler one day.

If anyone wants to give it a go, feel free to reach out with any questions about transport, etc. I’ve got contacts for cheap transfers, surf guides, and hostels.

Surfy love,
Jess (23)