La Union" Surfing Destination

La Union’s Surfing Legend
By VINCE G. LOPEZ
January 16, 2010, 9:25pm

Big waves start from humble humps on the sea.

The same goes for the success story of La Union where the surfing trend was started by a foreigner. Aki Naga was simply looking for a place to surf and when he tried riding the waves of La Union, it was more than what he expected it to be.

“I stayed in the Philippines because I was so amazed by the people and the location,” expressed Aki, a Japanese surfer who now lives in a house near the beach.

“I choose La Union because it’s located at the center of interest. I wake up and go surfing. If I want something to eat, it’s very near the market and if I get bored there are numerous places that are near where I could go to enjoy,” explained Aki.

The story began in 1981 while he was working for a surfboard company and read about the Philippines in a magazine. He asked about it and the more he asked, the more eager he became to visit the Philippines. Aki also said that “As soon as I saw the photos in the magazine, I promised myself that I would go and try to surf there, and I wasn’t disappointed.”

Back then, there were no hotels and other establishments yet in the beach. But this didn’t discourage Aki as he was able to find a resident who opened his home to him. This was the beginning of what others would call La Union’s “surfing history.”

“Back then, I was the only one who was surfing in the beach. I’d see the local boys watching me surf. Later on I learned that most of them were not in school, so I decided to teach them how to surf where they might have the chance to earn something,” expressed Aki.

The first surfing school in Urbiztondo beach started only with a handful of students. But before he knew it, the numbers began to grow and the place started to become popular.

“Sa simula nood nood lang kami sa mga marunong na mag surf, pero siyempre habang nanonood ka gusto ko na din namang matuto,” said Ronnie, one of Aki’s students.

But Ronnie has a story of his own —he is a handicapped surfer. Born with only one leg, it was his desire to ride the waves.

“Dati pa talagang gusto ko na mag-surf, may mga iba na nagsasabi di ko daw kaya o kaya mahihirapan lang ako. Pero gusto ko talaga eh, kaya ayun natuto din. Dati inaasar o pinagtatawanan ako pero ngayon humahanga na sila,” Ronnie said.

Ronnie surfs by throwing the board away and riding on it as he waits for his wave. This usually catches the attention of the people on the beach.

La Union’s pioneer surfers have more plans for the surfing community in La Union.

“Most of the boards that we use are imported but I hope to change this with the help of the local government. I hope that soon we could have surf boards that are made in the Philippines,” said Aki.