Badoc Island Surfing.
Is it worth it?

Where is Badoc Island?

Your will find Badoc Island in the province of Ilocos Norte. Badoc town is the southern most town in the province and is about 40 kms south of Laoag City. The town of Badoc lies wedged between the Killago mountain range to the east and the South China Sea to the west.

Badoc Island and the Ilocos Norte province is on the north western coastline of the main island of Luzon. The actual island is not particularly large and sits roughly a kilometre off the town of Badoc.

How do I get to Bardoc Island?

There are effectively two (2) ways of getting to Bardoc Island from Manila. You can either fly or you can travel by road, which option you choose will more than likely depend on the amount of tie you have at your disposal.

Flying is by far the most convenient. The flight from Manila to Laoag City, which is the capital of Ilocos Norte province, will take you about one hour. From Laoag City to Badoc, arrange prior to leaving Manila for a car or mini bus to pick you up to take you the remaining forty kilometers to Badoc.

If time is not really a problem, then you can either take one of the air conditioned busses that ply the Manila – Laoag City route. Ensure you jump on the bus that has Laoag City on the front! The bus will travel through Badoc so you can jump off there. The trip will take about eight (8) hours and is 488 kilometres from Manila to Laoag City.

You could also hire a mini van and take your time, stopping on the way for the elusive perfect wave.

The Surfing

Bardoc Island surfing, like most surf spots in the Philippines is inconsistent. The best time for surfing is during the October to early March period. This is when the surf is at its best, mainly due to the seasonal typhoons and low depression systems out in the South Chin Sea. You can also get some waves during July to September, but not all the surf breaks will catch the swell. The rest of the year can be a bit of a lottery

One thing can be guaranteed though, the breaks will not be crowded, in fact you may find yourself all alone!

These are some of the more popular breaks in Badoc Island

Badoc Island Lefts
This is a goofy footers dream wave. The wave can get as higher than 3 metres and still be ridden. Bigger waves here tend to close out.

Badoc Point
Nice and close break to the Badoc Island Resort. This break can get pretty powerful, you can surf it up to about 2.5 metres.

Star Tubes
This is a 1 – 2 metre left hander, which moves real fast. Good fun wave, don’t miss it.

Turtle Head Rights
The swell hits a shallow reef and can really get big on you. The wave does not lose form up to about 3 metres. It is more consistent around two metres.

There are plenty of other spots around, all you have to do is search, you will more than likely have one of the breaks all to yourself.

Where do I Stay?

Badoc Island itself is uninhabited, so all accommodation is in the mainland town of Badoc. The closest accommodation is the Badoc Island Resort. It has air-conditioned rooms and overlooks the ocean, very important if you are a surfer. The resort can arrange boat transport to the various breaks or anywhere else the surf is breaking.

For other great surfing breaks in the Philippines, have a look at Philippines surfing.