Continent
Asia
Country
Philippines
Next Big City
Laoag City
Next Town
Pagudpud
 
Type:
Ocean
Rider Ability:
Beginner, Intermediate, Expert
Features:
Rooms, Shower, Toilet, Food, Parking

Water

Type:
Chop, Small wave, Medium wave, Big wave
Hazards:
Reefs, Corals
Quality:
Crystal clear
Best Tide:
High tide, Coming tide

Water levels vary from day to day. Check the tide schedule before coming here - at low tide it can be dangerous to launch and ride here. Sometimes it is high tide in the morning and low tide midday (unridable) and high tide again in the late afternoon. Sometimes it starts off as low tide and then the water slowly rises. The immediate area in front of the beach is mostly flattish water (not real flat but not horribly choppy either), then there's a reef 175 meters out where the waves break. Beyond the breaking reef the sea is rough. The spot can handle about 10-15 riders at a time (depending on rider experience), but there is some extra room east and west of the main spot (but the waves and wind is not as good there, and the wind becomes very off-shore to the west). The waves are dominantly right-hander waves, breaking over a shallow but mostly safe reef. There are two coral heads that stick up close to the surface in the impact zone even at high tide, so watch out for those two.

Beach

Type:
Sand, Pebbles
Size:
Small
Hazards:
Trees
Beach Users:
None

It's a white beach with crushed corals. There are trees on the beach and the wind can be very gusty, so be careful when launching and landing. This is not a spot for beginners.

Weather

Spring:
Shorts
Summer:
Shorts
Fall:
Shorts
Winter:
Shorts, Shorty

There are only two seasons in the Philippines: rainy and summer. During the months of March to May, you can get away with wearing just shorts. During the months of October to February, wind speed picks up immensely and it gets really chilly. During the summer months, it can still get a bit cold at night so guests are advised to pack jackets.

Wind

Best Months:
January, February, March, November, December
Wind Type:
Trade
Best Direction:
NE
Main Direction:
NE, ENE, E

The wind is generally good here during the NE monsoon but can vary greatly from day to day and week to week. Bring both a small and a big kite. The wind can get quite gusty, particularly when the wind comes from a more easterly direction. The wind varies from side-on-shore to side-off-shore. A few hundred meters downwind (i.e., to the West) the coast curves southwards which means that the wind becomes completely off-shore there.



How to get there

Transport
Car
Access
Short walk

You can fly from Manila to Laoag. Arrange for a pick up from the airport will cost you around 50 Euro. You can take a bus from Manila all the way to Pagudpud for 10 Euro in an air-con bus (12-14 hours busride depending on traffic). Then have yourself drop off at the town of Pagudpud or Mawili highway and take a tricycle to get to Kingfisher. Cost for the tricycle is about 3 Euro.

Extra information

Rules
Zones

It's a private beach and can only be accessed through one of the private property or through Kingfisher Resort. The resort charges an access fee for kiting. No banks or ATM machines. You can kite downwind 25 kilometers or so and be picked up by a van or SUV. Best that you either bring a car or arrange to hire a car if you plan to explore different sites/beaches.

Nightlife

The nearby small provincial town Pagudpud can be reached by car or tricycle but there are hardly any bars there. It is a small place and the overall feel of the place is relaxing and peaceful. However, occasional parties are hosted in Kingfisher. We have a decked out sound system, coupled with strobe and laser lights, and fog machines.