MORE THAN A REMINDER OF THE ISLAND?S sheer submission to the world?s largest ocean, the strong waves that smash Puraran in Baras town in Catanduanes are every surfer?s dream.

Tagged as the ?The Majestic,? the turbid waters of the coastal village are no longer whipped-up props of strong typhoons that frequent the province.

Most surfers say Puraran has the most powerful and challenging waves and deem it the ?last stop? or the country?s ultimate surfing destination.

In the 1980s, a group of Australians discovered the surfing potential of Puraran, according to Allan Tanael, 28, one of the local surfers. By word-of-mouth, more visitors came, riding the waves by day and sleeping in the village?s public school at night in the absence of resorts.

Tanael says those who kept coming back decided to build a beach-front cottage on his grandparents? land. His family?s Majestic Puraran Beach Resort now stands there.

Tanael learned surfing when he was 12 years old, simply by watching foreigners handle the furious waves. His only problem: he did not have any surfboard.

One day, to his delight, one of the foreign tourists gave him a surfboard while serving as their guide.

?If they like you, they would give you one. Sometimes, we would mend broken surfboards and reuse them because we could not afford one,? Tanael said.

An original Australian or Hawaiian short board costs P10,000 to P25,000, and a long board, P30,000 to P35,000.

Surfing may be a rich man?s sport for a rural Filipino, but it has gained popularity in this fifth-class municipality.

In 1997, emerging surfers from Baras and other towns formed the Catanduanes Surfing Association. (Tanael is now president of the group.)

The provincial government also held the island?s first surfing competition that year. This month, the Baras government held its first surfing and wall-climbing clinic. A hundred locals, mostly youths, signed up for free lessons.

During the event, the Department of Tourism in Bicol donated 20 fiberglass surfboards.

Joey Cuerdo, president of Power Play Events Management, which organized the four-day clinic, says the participants had been very receptive and enthusiastic. The clinic introduced not just surfing but other beach sports, like Frisbee and wall climbing.

?When rural folk come to the beach, all they usually want to do is sit down, chat or drink,? Cuerdo says. ?They are not used to people inviting them to a game. Unless you approach them, they would simply gaze from a corner.?

?But you can see their interest because they would watch the game,? he adds.

Cuerdo says the clinic made the people aware of ?sports in their backyard.?

?I would tell them they should be proud to be from Catanduanes, because they have the waves that only few places in the country have,? he says.

What sets ?The Majestic? apart from others is the shape, Tanael says.

?During peak season, the waves would form a perfect tube. The waves are smooth and would break gently,? he says.

The Puraran wave is a ?reef break,? the kind that breaks over a coral reef or a rocky seabed. It can be the most dangerous yet most rewarding for surfers seeking adventure.

The waves are as high as six feet in October, when the winds are strongest. It is also the annual schedule for the professional surfing competition in Baras.

Tanael says Puraran welcomes neophyte surfers who can try certain areas where the waves are not as high. During typhoons, the waves reach 10-15 feet, forcing residents to flee their homes for safe ground.

Cuerdo believes the challenging waves of Puraran can produce competitive surfers.

Surfing draws people of any race who feel being ?cool,? Cuerdo says. ?Surfer and cool ... there seems to be a parallelism. That would also explain why surfing brands are really popular. Surfing is cool.?

But Tanael says it has not yet reached a point when surfing is a career alternative. He teaches in a public elementary school.

Provincial tourism officer Carmel Garcia sees a brighter prospect for tourism, although, she said, more manpower, ample promotion, better facilities and private sector partnership are needed.

In Puraran, Majestic Beach Resort and Puting Baybay (White Sand) Beach Resort offer accommodations.

?At least the road network is far better now. Only few roads are left to be cemented,? Garcia said. Baras is a 90-minute drive from the capital town of Virac.

Virac can be reached directly by plane from Manila or a four-hour ferry ride from Tabaco City in Albay. Its airport hosts two airlines?Cebu Pacific and Zest Air. It has at least 11 hotels and inns.