Surfin' CamNorte

We boarded a van for Daet at the gasoline station in Paracale. The van departed from Paracale at around 1:30 pm. Upon arriving in Daet, after a 30-minute drive, we got on a tricycle going to Bagasbas Beach. After 10 minutes, we could see people having fun kitesurfing in the area.

Bagasbas is a long stretch of brown beach, with small to medium waves crashing the shore, and winds blowing endlessly. We had to cover our eyes sometimes as the sand would blow on our face once in a while.

Kitesurfing is also called...

Kiteboarding.

Truth is, the thought of surfing kept floating in my head. Walking along the boulevard, we saw a group of people having a how-to-surf class, and so we stopped to observe them folks.

A quirky woman jumped at the chance of asking if we wanted to surf too. We hesitated with dealing with her, thinking she was cashing on us. She introduced herself - Ate Mabel. In the end, we just went with her. Turns out she was the owner of Hangloose Surf Shop. And she was The Most Accomodating Mother Figure in the area. Everyone knows her.

The only woman in the picture is Ate Mabel.
That's her small surf shop Hangloose.

You can rent a surfboard at Hangloose. Ate Mabel was kind enough to keep our belongings safe in her shop, noting that leaving them on the beach attracts crooks.


If you're a beginner, it's strongly advised to hire an instructor. Ate Mabel doesn't want any mishaps happening to her clients. So we each had our own instructor.

Surfing 101

The first minutes, we were taught the basics. Body centered, feet near the tail of the board, and a quick stand or pop up.

Resting on my ride.

The sea is calling right?

No time to waste. Let's hit it!

Applying what we learned.

After ten or more failed attempts.

Going with the flow.

Stoked.

Mustachio's incomplete guide to surfing - I forgot the other steps. 

Aside from the sand color and occasional litter, Bagasbas beach, however, has the package for people who want to try surfing. There are no corals or sharp rocks, no fret if you fall off-board, landing is as soft as landing on your bed. Furthermore, the sea level isn't too deep even at a farther distance from the shoreline. And best of all, the waves hit Bagasbas almost year-round, with the best time coming in during the summer.

We would have wanted to ride the waves more, unfortunately we had a strict itinerary to follow. We washed and got changed at the back of Hangloose where the poso (water pump) and a small changing room was located. From Bagasbas, we had to ride a tricycle back to the terminal and catch the 6 pm van. On the road again, this time heading to Naga City in Camarines Sur.

Contact information:

Ate Mabel of Hangloose Surf Shop 0909 531 2869 


How this experience surf-upped Mustachio's expenses:

Paracale to Daet van Php 60

Daet to Bagasbas tricycle Php 20

Surf instructor and board (1 hour) Php 400

Wash up at the poso Php 5

Tip for photographer Php 25

Bagasbas to Daet tricycle Php 20 


Camarines Series:

Camarines Norte: Tinaga Island's Mahabang Buhangin

Camarines Norte: Surfin' CamNorte (you're here!)

Camarines Sur: Wakeboardin' CamSur

Camarines Sur: Bicolano Grub at Geewan

Camarines Sur: Do Not Eat Bicol Express, Ride It!