The hard rain the previous night made me doubt if the morning’s gloomy sky would turn any better. However, just minutes into our boat ride originating from the Del Carmen port, all my dreads of bad weather simply evaporated into the sinewy glow of the torrid tropical sun. I’ve heard countless raves about our next destination before, but I’ve strictly chosen not to stroke my curiosity of how it actually looks. Because I prefer Siargao to genuinely surprise me, I intentionally avoided seeing any videos and photographs of the teeming, beautiful nature of the island—except for the legendary surf scene it is globally known for.
A passing drone shot of the fine white sands of Daku, Guyam, and Naked Islands might have caught my gaze a few times, but Sugba Lagoon hasn’t caught my eye yet—but it won’t be long until it completely captures it.
Diving Me Crazy at Sugba Lagoon in Siargao
After a forty-minute drive across the island from General Luna straight to Del Carmen, and another hour and a half of boat riding, we smoothly cruised into a winding water passageway leading to scattered small limestone islands heavily shrouded by lush tropical greens. Our local guide proudly explained to us that Sugba Lagoon is an active part of a heavily protected 4,000-hectare nature sanctuary that also boasts the second-largest continuous mangrove forest in the entire Philippines.
With the early morning sheen of the sun bouncing heavily off the island’s thick canopy of trees, the water beautifully appeared as a charming medley of deep emerald green and the light blue reflection of the open sky. As our small boat quietly sliced through the calm waters, creating minimal ripples, my deep anticipation of finally laying my bare eyes on Sugba Lagoon cut sharply through my consciousness like a Zen knife.
A Zen Knife in the Mangroves
A profound state of calmness quickly prevailed over me. I was utterly amazed at how magnificent Mother Nature seamlessly formed these azure-colored waters that smoothly snake around the scattered karst islets off the remote coast of Del Carmen. Inching nearer, the waters became significantly greener, and the very first thing I actively noticed as we approached the makeshift wooden jetty was the lone pontoon structure floating dockside, heavily surrounded by colorful plastic kayaks.
It is also securely there where you can easily rent stand-up paddleboards, single and tandem kayaks, and various other inflatable flotation devices. After renting a solid table to safely put our things, our travel group dispersed incredibly quickly, with each one hurrying eagerly to start playing with the inviting water. I started off slow with the paddleboard, then quickly shifted to a kayak, before ultimately spending most of my remaining time testing my nerves on the famous wooden diving platform.
There couldn’t be more than fifty people sharing the attraction that specific day, but the sheer massive size of the lagoon still easily afforded us a deep sense of isolation—especially during our single kayaking exploration sessions. The eight-foot-tall wooden diving board securely built adjacent to the walking platform became our ultimate playground right after our filling lunch, which consisted of adobo squids, grilled liempo, steamed shrimps, and fresh crabs.
Diving Yourself Crazy
Everyone just loudly egged the others to jump off the board, and when someone publicly exhibited apprehensions—as if right on cue—two brave little girls displaying massive bravado fearlessly showed the way. They actively took turns jumping deep into the water more than a dozen times, completely to the astonishment of everybody watching, including their own mom. "Mommy, we’re going to jump again!" the older girl would gleefully declare the exact moment they swam back up to the wooden dais.
I was originally supposed to jump only a couple of times, but strongly buoyed by the infectious courage of the young kids, I ended up walking back up to the high platform several more times. It was incredibly fun just diving yourself crazy directly into the clear, warm, and highly inviting waters of Sugba Lagoon. Now, I absolutely can’t stop dreaming about building a small house by the lake someday—and yes, definitely with a wooden diving platform to go right along with it.
