Siargao hosts biggest tournament yet: 28th Siargao Int’l Surfing Cup QS5000

Flags of all participating nations are displayed at  Cloud 9’s boardwalk. (Ted Madamba)

SIARGAO ISLAND–Surfing enthusiasts around the globe have flocked toGeneral Luna, Siargao Island for this week’s 28th International Surfing Cup.

This year’s event, presented by the Office of Speaker Martin Romualdez and Congressman Bingo Matugas of Siargao Island, is making history as it upgrades to a World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series 5000 (QS 5000), drawing a field of around 200 surfers from 17 countries.

Out of the global roster of participants, there are 47 men and 10 women from the Philippines  vying for the title.

Among them is local Siargaonon John Mark “Marama” Tokong, defending champion of the men’s division from last year’s 27th Siargao International Surfing Cup QS3000.

Ceremonial breaking of the board kicks off the Surf Cup

This year’s surf cup was officially opened by the ceremonial breaking of the board at the opening ceremony last October 27, 2024.

The ceremony was hosted by Congressman  Bingo “Bagtik Moserbisyo” Matugas along with Mayor Sol F. Matugas of the municipality of General Luna.

During the ceremony, homage was made to the partner pioneers of Siargao surfing — the late former General Luna Mayor Jaime Rusillon and former Governor and Congressman Lalo Matugas.

Photo shows the ceremonial breaking of the boards with Vice Mayor Minmin Rusillon-Sajulga, Mayor Sol F. Matugas, WSL APAC Tour Manager Ty Sorati, DOT USEC Ferdinand C. Jumapao, Cong. Bingo Matugas, former Gov. and Cong. Lalo Matugas, Dr. Joen de las Peñas of Kaiser Health Group and Manila Banker’s Assurance, Mayor Arwela A. Dolar, Mayor Gina S. Menil.  (Ted Madamba)

The duo made possible the very first international surf cup in 1994 and together built the original iconic Cloud 9 boardwalk and tower in 1996.

WSL APAC Tour Manager Ty Sorati shared in his message that night that Siargao is “one of the best stops on the WSL tour and one we all look forward to each year.”

He also thanked the national and local government as well as the private sector for making this event possible.

“A lot of work goes into making these events successful and especially this year upgrading the event to a QS 5000,” Sorati said.

What is QS5000?

“QS5000 is the highest ranked event for the [Qualifying] Series,” Sorati explained at the surf cup’s press conference held last October 28.

“The top surfers from each region’s QS series then qualify for the next round which is called the Challenger Series (CS), then the top surfers from there then qualify for the Championship Tour (CT).”

It is in the CT where the top surfers in the world compete for the world title.

Currently, Siargao is the only location in the Philippines to host a QS5000 level surfing competition.

“It’s the highest level event we’ve ever had here…I felt pretty proud that the Congressman has brought it up to this level…we started at a very low level…and we’ve gone up the ladder each particular time. And at the moment this is as far up the ladder as we’ve ever been,” Gerry Degan, event director of the Siargao International Surfing Cup (SISC) since 1996 said.

Cong. Matugas shared that there are three requirements for moving up a QS level or a series: sufficient financial requirements, efficient logistical capabilities to support the tournament, and the quality of the wave.

This year, the country’s biggest surfing competition is made possible by the cooperation of national and local government as well as support from the private sector.

Andrew Stark, WSL APAC President also thanked for supporting the event. 

“The World Surf League would like to thank Speaker Martin Romualdez, Congressman Bingo Matugas and Congresswoman Yedda Romualdez, Philippines DOT Secretary Christina Frasco, and Mayor Sol Matugas for their ongoing support of this event and for seeing the potential in the event and elevating it year after year.”

Photo shows WSL officials Tru and Jesse Starling, Cong. Bingo Matugas, WSL APAC Tour Manager Ty Sorati, Event Director Gerry Degan, and WSL official Tully Wylie. (Ted Madamba)

From the private sector, Kaiser International Health Group and Manila Bankers have been greatly instrumental in bringing the first QS5000 to Siargao and the Philippines.

Behind them are the event’s official partners, Gomo and Coca-Cola Beverages, Inc. and PAGSS, as well as other sponsors and hospitality partners.

Cloud 9’s perfect wave

The competition kicked off on October 26, 2024 with clean two-to-three foot barrel waves that have swelled to four-to-six foot barrel waves as of October 30, 2024.

To the WSL members as well as many local and foreign surfers, Siargao’s Cloud 9 wave stands out among all the rest.   

“Amongst the many many great waves in Siargao and the Philippines, [Cloud 9 is] basically the best…There are plenty of other waves [in Siargao and around the country] that you can have an event at, but this is the premiere event because of the kind of wave it is. It’s just hard to compare. For me, the ultimate thing in surfing is to get inside the barrel, inside the tube, and Cloud 9 allows that. It is just a fantastic barrel,” Degan said.

Cloud 9 delivers its perfect barrels  (WSL / Matt Dunbar / Surfer: Piso Alcala)

“The wave is so perfect, it picks up all the swell in the area. It’s [also] such a great place for a contest. There’s not many places in the world that have a boardwalk and a tower that can look right into the waves. It’s such a pretty wave. It’s a great barrel, it can hold two-foot, it can hold eight-foot. It’s just one of the great waves of the world,” Sorati, meantime, said.

Sorati confirmed that the caliber of the Cloud 9 wave actually qualifies for WSL’s highest level of competition — the Championship Tour.

When asked about what the level of the cup would be next year, Cong. Matugas said that he, together with WSL, would evaluate this after the end of the current tournament.

However, he does aspire to bring this cup to the highest level he possibly can.

“Hard work beats talent every time. We want to up the level of surfing competition in Siargao so that our local surfers will also improve. An athlete cannot improve if he always plays on the same level. They have to compete with the best in order to be the best. That’s how we improve as a local surfer in the Philippines. That’s what we hope for. That’s why we will dream to increase our competition level from a QS level to CS to Championship Tour,” he said.

The 2024 Siargao International Surfing Cup QS5000 will run at Cloud 9 in General Luna, Siargao Island from October 26 to November 4, 2024.