In the last three months, I’ve kited at ten different spots in the Philippines. Doesn’t sound like much at first. But every Filipino said “This year the weather is crazy. La nina.”. The north-easterly wind Amihad, which usually starts in mid-November, arrived for the first time on 30 December. Until then, apart from a short session in El Nido on Palawan, I had been in the doldrums for seven weeks.
If you can’t survive lulls in the Philippines, you must hate travelling. The Philippines offer much more than just wind: incredibly friendly and interested people, magnificent landscapes, good food, tough trekking, relaxed island hopping and good rum. I deliberately leave Videoke out of the equation. Even if you laugh, at some point it’s no longer funny.
The forecast for Bulalacao today is only 14-18 knots. In the morning that’s still true, but by ten o’clock the wind is already freshening up to 15-23 knots. It’s as stubborn as ever here. We are too lazy to set up small kites again on the last day – and go full throttle again with 12 and 13 m². I put down a few more good big airs, Max continues to practise backflips and grabs in all variations. Some crashes are really fat thanks to overpower.
What we see when kiting in the Philippines usually remains hidden from you: the coast. That’s why we go out into the bay a few times with the camera and take a few pictures in the other direction. The position of the sun is right, the wind is blowing mightily. But because of the low tide, we don’t do any more monster jumps in 40 cm deep water. We let it end quietly. Max comes to the room in the early afternoon. He’s simply had enough for the first time. Me anyway. I would never have expected that my big Philippines kitesurfing odyssey could still bring such good wind, spots and fun within five weeks after such a long lull. Thank you!
My kitesurfing spots in the Philippines at a glance:
27.11.11 Kitesurfing in El Nido (Palawan)
28.12.11 The kite kids of Roxas (Panay)
30.12.11 Absolution & disenchanted sanctuaries (Kitesurfing Boracay)
31.12.11 Boracay Kite Killers
01.01.12 New Year’s Kiting (Kitesurfing Boracay)
06.01.12 The Other Kingdom (San Jose, Carabao)
09.01.12 Oh it’s such a perfect day… (Aglicay, Tablas)
11.01.12 Kitesurfing Romblon: Self-rescue (Bonbon Beach)
21.01.12 Hangover Hangtime (Kitesurfing Boracay)
22.01.12 Boracay’s alternative kitespots
23.01.12 Hot water! (Kitesurfing Boracay)
24.01.12 …and the best for last! (Boracay)
25.01.12 Kaiserkiting for the second time (Aglicay, Tablas)
26.01.12 Breaking the waves (Aglicay, Tablas)
30.01.12 The tree house on Magdiwan Beach (Sibuyan)
03.02.12 Bulalacao Big Air (Mindoro)
04.02.12 “I like it a bit overbuilt” (Bulalacao, Mindoro)
05.02.12 An almost fatal kite safari (Masin Island)
Finally, the goodie for everyone who was on Boracay and hated it just as much: The Borawhy Tshirt to print yourself – download at the bottom of the post. Have it printed, press it onto the T-shirt, grin at it, done.
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.