After a sweltering day resembling The Clash's "breaking rocks in the hot sun" and relishing the impassioned ambiance of Davao City's Kadayawan Festival, early the next day, I joined a small group of enthusiastic film photographers—Lauren, Master Erick, and Surfer Kara—on a journey to Mati, the capital of Davao Oriental. Our aim was to find some waves and capture some amazing landscapes, both digitally and on film. My buddies were carrying analog cameras and rolls of film, as opposed to my little camera bag. The trio undoubtedly came to Davao armed to the teeth—Lomography speaking.
Film Pirates & Surfers of Dahican Beach | Mati, Davao Oriental
The Road to Dahican
The journey from Davao City to Mati took about three hours, traveling through picturesque scenery. A slideshow featuring beautiful fields, undulating hills, and tranquil villages in between, as well as the "sleeping dinosaur" island formation, passed by the windows. I successfully concentrated my thoughts on the surroundings outside the window and occupied myself with the magnificent moving images inside the cramped-up vehicle, experiencing cramps and struggling against falling asleep.
By the time we arrived at Dahican Beach, chill reigned over. Time flowed in a pleasant manner, as though seconds were passing by elegantly, like the strokes of a skilled painter. From the beautiful sky to the crystal-clear waves to the motions of the skimboarders known as the "Amihan Boys," there was a profound sense of peace. Even though I was not a big fan of surfing or skimboarding, their abilities impressed me right away.
Bipolar Waves and Beach Bums
The months leading up to the start of the surfing season in October might have provided some bipolar wave conditions. If you were lucky, you might have been able to surf some, but just to be sure, you had to make your surfing trip there during the peak surfing months. Surfer Kara was initially disappointed by the absence of waves, but we found time to enjoy our trip by being beach bums. The next day, Kara's friend drove us to another break spot to see if she could surf.
The surfing gods must have been smiling because there was some wave that formed a couple of hundred meters out to sea, and Kara and company—minus myself, Lauren, and Erick—were able to surf a dozen or so lengthy rides over their surfboards. A surfing paradise was never doomed, especially if it faced the Pacific Ocean.
Later in the day, backpacking superstar Journeying James joined us for brunch, and we teased him about potential chemistry with surfer Kara. I hoped they would both continue to surf together in the future.
The Mindanao Gem
Mindanao was a land full of gems, places you never knew existed after reading numerous headlines from the generalization-crazed mainstream media. I wanted to continue my journey to Cateel and return to Compostela Valley, but I had to wait until the next most convenient moment, as work awaited me in the city from which I had come.
Rays of sunlight lit up our faces as we rode in the back of our new friend's pickup truck across a gravel and rocky road, surrounded by tall trees on both sides. We did not notice the bumps and grinds since every one of us had a newfound enthusiasm for that new place. We all agreed that we wanted to return in the near future.
A Promise to Return
Following my resolve, I planned to go on more surfing trips in the future. I wanted to achieve a skill wherein I would pull long rides over continuous swells. As my film pirate friends and I prepared to depart Mati, they took home wonderful images stored in endless rolls of film with them, while I loaded up my two-gigabyte memory card for my digital camera.
As I drew a little pin on the map of the Philippines, I marked the location of Mati. I noted it not as a spot to get it over with, but rather as a reminder to me to return there, maybe during the surfing season. Let's see whether I would have said "I'm stoked" afterward.
Dahican Beach Profile
