Pacifico (Big Wish)

Direction: Left 

Level: Advanced. 

Best wind: South West

Best swell size: 2 - 10 ft

Best swell direction: North - North East

Best tide:  mid - high 

Best for: Advanced surfers searching for big, left-handed barrels... If you not sure you can handle big and crazy waves then don't paddle out during peak season.

Crowd factor: Low. Pacifico is situated in the North of Siargao island an hour’s drive from the main tourist areas of G.L and Cloud 9.  Therefore it is much, much less crowded here but the Pacifico area is starting to get busier and more hotels are opening so we can anticipate more people staying and surfing in Pacifico.

Kind of wave: Pacifico may be the biggest and best left-handed wave in Siargao.  Although Cloud 9 gets more attention, Pacifico can actually be bigger than Cloud 9 and is a much longer ride.   

Classic Pacifico is a single to double to even triple overhead left-handed wave with barrels you could drive a Volkswagon through.  It is big, strong, powerful... everything you expect from a world-class wave.  However, in smaller swells Pacifico can be a head-high fun wave with a long, long shoulder to ride without too much danger.  The wave appears smaller from the beach than it actually is so make sure you know what you're getting into before you paddle out.  One time I went there it looked about single to double overhead from the beach but after reaching the line-up we found it to be triple overhead or more and almost died just trying to get back into the beach!

Surf season: Pacifico is usually surfed during the peak season of October - December when the offshore winds allow you to get in, surf, and get out without too much danger.  In the summer months of June, July, and into August Pacifico will be really small (like everywhere on the island) except during the odd swell.  The rest of the year (Dec - May) Pacifico can be surfed when the winds are light enough but usually the wind is strong onshore making it impossible to surf.

How to get there: Pacifico is about an hours drive from G.L / Cloud 9.  You can find the town of Pacifico on Google Maps or ask your hotel staff for directions.  It’s a great place for a day trip around the island or if you really wanna stay remote then you may wanna check out the accommodations in Pacifico for your holiday. Once you have arrived at the surf spot just paddle out from the beach.  Be careful though, there is a strong current in front of the beach pulling you right as you paddle out.  So start further up the beach in front of where the waves are breaking and by the time you reach the line-up with will have drifted much further down to where the channel is.

*HOT TIP! There is another great wave in front of Bamboo Surf Resort in Pacifico. A nice, playful right-hander that’s not nearly so scary as Big Wish. This wave works under the same conditions as Big Wish and it’s about 500m down the road so look for Bamboo Resort and check out the wave in front of it.