Amihan Boys: homegrown surfers

Posted: April 19th, 2009 | Filed under: News Events |

MATI, Davao Oriental – As early as five in the morning, 10 young boys jump off from their bed everyday to do their daily chores — cooking, cleaning, lugging drinking water on their sun-burnt shoulders.

During harvest season, these boys also gather seasoned coconuts for copra.

They are not farmworkers or tenants of a coconut plantation. The early morning routine is part of their ‘discipline’ while staying at their training camp in Barangay Dahican here – a well-known skimboarding and surfing spot in the country.

These boys belong to the homegrown group of surfers called Amihan, which refers to the Easterly Winds of the Pacific Ocean.

Barangay Dahican is located at the eastern part of this town and its 7-kilometer white sand beach is facing the Pacific Ocean. It is about 15 minutes away from the town proper here.

Thirty-six-year old Jun Plaza, the team leader of Amihan and also acts as the guardian of the surfers, said that to be part of the team, one should not just learn how to surf or skim.

“When an individual wants to be a part of our team, he should first learn how to wash the dishes, cook and other daily chores before learning how to surf,” Plaza pointed out, adding that they also go out fishing sometimes.

“Those who cannot get up early, their teammates will spill sugar, coffee or even water on him just to wake him up,” said surfer Mark Amparado.

Before the boys could surf, he said, they have to work first and each of the boys has a designated spot in the shore to clean up before going to practice.

Plaza added that imposing strict policies in his training camp is part of their discipline. “Alchohol or drugs are not allowed here. We even ask our visitors not to hold their drinking spree in our premises so that my boys will not be tempted.”

When a newcomer arrives in the training camp, he said, he will use the old boards first while the senior surfers will use the new ones.

Foreign support

Like any homegrown surfers, they lack the adequate gears compared to well-financed teams in other parts of the country.

But sometime in November 2005, a Japanese tourist who visited Dahican after marrying a Filipina, pledged to provide them surfboards and other gears when he returns here. The Japanese owns a private resort in a nearby barangay, the surfers said adding that they are also the ones who keep an eye on the private resort.

Four months later, the Japanese, who was also a former surfer, brought four surfing boards, waterproof wrist watches and other gears for the Amihan boys. “It’s pretty sad that we don’t get this kind of support from the locals,” Plaza said without elaborating.

Amihan surfers said that they could not really afford to buy the fiberglass-made surf boards for themselves since a short board already cost P60,000.

One of the surfers said that imported second hand surf boards like what were given to them could still cost as much as P20,000.

“We cannot really afford it. Even this broken board could still be sold at P5,000,” said 18-year-old Amparado. He glued his board when it broke into two after hitting the shallow portion of the shore.

How they started

In 2002, skimboarders from Davao City arrived in Barangay Dahican and played skimboarding in the shorelines. As the surfers left the village, Plaza recalled that the surfers left them one of their boards for them to practice.

And that started Plaza’s interest to play skimboarding in the shores of Dahican since the spot is perfect for skimboarding.

Then about a year later, surfers from Davao City also came to Dahican and ride with the waves that could reach as high as 10 feet between November to March. Like the skimboarders, the surfers also left one of their boards to the Amihan boys, Plaza recalled.

Skimboarders stick to the shore, looking for small waves while surfers eye for that big wave to ride. The bigger, the better.

“Whenever there are surfers come here and play, they left one of their boards. Maybe in exchange for the hospitality that we are showing to them as well as they also witnessed that our boys have potential skills,” Plaza, a former fisherman, said. “I was among of the first surfers here and then some of the boys came here then I trained them.”

Currently, Amihan boys are keeping 15 surf boards – they did not spend even a single centavo for their boards while they also have several skimboards.

Some of the skimboards, one of the Amihan boys said, are homemade using plywood and other light materials.

Young champs

One of the ace surfers of Amihan is 14-year old Patawe Rodil who have been surfing for just over a year but has already won several titles in some competitions.

Patawe, who started as skimboarder, is now also a surfer and is considered by the team as one of their talented boys.

“When surfers from Surigao and even foreign surfers visited here, they were impressed by the performance of Rodil in skimboarding and surfing,” Plaza said.

He added that aside from Patawe, two other surfers Sonny Boy Aporbo,14, and Vincent Balocanag ,18, are the team’s ace surfers.

By November this year, Plaza added that another Japanese businessman will come down here and formally extend all forms of support to the three ace surfers. “He will act as their manager; he will provide everything to develop the skills of these boys. These three first and then the other surfers in the future,” he said in the vernacular.

The Amihan boys hail from Barangay Dahican and they are also still going to school here. Since its summer, they are now in their training camp and surfs everyday.

Plaza said during opening of classes, many individuals would come and extend any form assistance to the surfers. “Some would give slippers, school supplies and even funds for enrollment. These individuals are those who often come here to picnic while some are also surfers who are well off.”

The Amihan surfers have already participated in different skimboarding competitions in Cebu, Sarangani, Malita and Davao City.

Homegrown surfing academy

To be able to augment their daily needs at the same time to share their skills to others, Amihan also offer skimboarding and surfing lessons.

Skimboarding costs P150 per hour while when the skimboards are for rent at P100 per hour. While surfing lessons is at P400 per hour and the boards are for rent at P200/hour.

Plaza said that many kids from the town proper here and nearby villages would come and learn how to surf. “They are very much welcome here. Sometimes their parents would get mad at them because they wanted to stay longer here in our place,” he said.

The income of the boys, the chief surfer said, would go to the needs at their training camp. “This is also the source of income of the boys since we don’t really have sponsors. So all of the money that comes in out of the surfing lesson, goes to the food supplies and other needs here. Although sometimes we also earn from selling the copra.”

“We practice everyday as long there are big waves,” said 13-year-old Fidel Bautista. “While the fiserfolks here pray that big waves would not come, we are praying that they would come so that we could surf.”

Plaza, on the other hand, also said that the Amihan surfers both know how to skim and surf. He added that when one only knows how to surf, he could not play when there are big waves. “What if there are no big waves, you would stay inside the house and cook for us,” he quips.

---