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Subic
Bay is known for its calm protected
waters, while great for most water sports it
is exactly what surfers do not want. A short
trip north from Subic Bay along the National
Highway brings you to another coastline. Zambales
Province is located on the western coast of
Luzon and like many other activities in the
area, has yet to attract the attention that
many of the other surfing locations in the Philippines
have. The coastline north of Subic Bay is open
to the South China Sea, here you will find conditions
much more to the liking of surfers. The waves
are from soft to powerful, but as with many
locations in the Philippines, inconsistent in
size and quality. |
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Best waves are from May to November. The town San
Narciso and it's neighbor San Antonio are the center
of attention for this areas surfing. Pundaquit is
one of the best surf spots in the whole of Zambales.
Pundaquit is based in San Antonio and it is the fourth
town from the Subic Bay Freeport. |
It's
Subic town, Castillejos, San Marcelino then San Antonio.
Pundaquit is the nearest surf destination from manila compared
to San Juan of La Union in the North (7 hours), Baler of
Aurora in the West (10 hrs) and Siargao in Surigao in the
South (board on 2 planes to get to siargao). At least a
dozen good breaks are located around San Narciso and its
neighboring towns. The waves vary for short boarders to
long boarders. One break, which is right in front of Crystal
Beach Resort, is good for beginners because of its fun waves.
When waves are bigger, it can produce good tubes and power
for more experienced surfers. San Narciso also features
the High 5 Lahar Break, considered the most consistent break
in Zambales.
It has a unique lahar bottom created from the mud flow of
Mount Pinatubo. Another break influenced by the volcano
is the La Paz River Mouth Break. The mouth of the Macolcol
River had massive lahar flows that affected the surf. Just
south of San Narciso is the town of San Antonio with it
own collection of small villages and nice breaks. San Miguel,
a village noted for its small fishing fleet and a performing
arts center, has an interesting break that is good when
the swell is small. Here one finds a right hander that breaks
over sand. Locals say this is a good place to be when there
is no chance of good waves anywhere else. Just to the south
is Pundaquit with a good break when the swell is bigger.
Offshore are the Capones Islands. There are at least three
reef breaks located at Capones Island. Surfers should be
careful because some of the breaks have very sharp coral
while others have been smoothed.
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