good morning. i just found out that their building a 50′ tower with floodlights at the spot “cloud 9” in the philippines. why? to open it up every night of the year for night surfing. wow? i have mixed feelings. why?
first, let’s look at the good. great for the economy as more surfers will head there for sure. there is no other spot in the world that is lighted enough all year around to surf 24 hours a day. most likely less crowds. great idea?
now, let’s look at the bad. abunai means dangerous. if you ever night surfed, you will know what i’m talking about. there is no way in the world that you will see everything and everybody. lights projecting from a tower will cast a shadow and if so happen your in the shadow when a surfer is coming straight for you, good night. alcohol and surfing don’t mix, but the cheap san miguel beers will for sure give people more courage than ever. if you get hurt or knock your head on the reef, you have a good chance of vanishing into the dark. and if your lucky to make it to the hospital that is pretty far away, it probably won’t be open.
i’m not against night surfing at all. i do it sometimes and i love it. i’m just concerned about the safety reasons. night surfing waikiki is pretty safe. but cloud 9? i’ve surfed cloud 9 many of times and let me tell you, it’s not an easy wave. yes, it looks easy in the photos and videos but the tides, currents, the swell direction, and the wind can make it pretty dangerous. it’s already dangerous surfing it in broad day light. it’s almost the same thing of night surfing backdoor with the lights. would you do it? i surely won’t. if you get hurt in hawaii, you have a great survival chance because of the awesome emergency services we have. but to get hurt in a third world country is different.
i wouldn’t recommend it at all, unless your a highly talented surfer. it’s not worth the risk. being that it takes 2 days to get there, i’m sure it will take longer to get home if something happens. but if you want to take the challenge, please get travel insurance. and don’t say i didn’t warn you…
**want to say sorry to gerry and the boys over there. i’m not writing you guys off. that’s a great idea but since most of the people who read my blog are beginners, i wouldn’t recommend it to them. but for me? i’ll see you in the lineup at midnight… cheers….
and last, i was on my computer all day when yassan walked into the room carrying this hammock. he set it up and left. i went to test it out and next thing you know, 2 hours passed. oh, what a great afternoon nap….
