TACLOBAN CITY – At least 200 surfers from all over the country will be in Calicoan Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, in September for the Calicoan Odyssey Wave 2023, the second leg of NextGen Pilipinas Surfing Nationals 2023.
Kinna Kwan, Guiuan town municipal administrator, said in a phone interview Wednesday that the actual competition, scheduled from Sept. 15 to 21, will be held at the ABCD Beach, which is considered the best surfing site in Calicoan and known for its left-handed and right-handed reef breaks.
The event will kick off on Sept. 14 through an orientation and a beach clean-up and will be followed by the opening of the surfing competition the following day. The awarding ceremony is on Sept. 20 and will be concluded by another beach clean-up the next day.
More than PHP600,000 cash prizes are stakes for winners of the four categories in the competition.
Before Calicoan, the first leg of NextGen Pilipinas Surfing Nationals 2023 is set in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte from Sept. 1 to 7. Another leg of the surfing competition will be in Baler, Aurora; Borongan City, Eastern Samar; and Cabugao, Ilocos Sur.
The event is sanctioned by the United Philippine Surfing Association (UPSA), the national sports body for surfing in the Philippines, and recognized by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee as a regular member.
The event is organized by the local government unit of Guiuan, UPSA, and the local surfing organizations of Calicoan Island and Eastern Samar; ABCD Surf Calicoan Local Surfers Samrayan Surfboards, The Backyard Surf Co., and the Surfriders Club of Eastern Samar Inc.
Calicoan, unlike other popular surfing destinations in the country, is known for its left-handler waves, which surfers would dream of surfing. It is one of the islands in Guiuan town. (PNA)