There is no real season for windsurfing in the Philippines because there is almost always some breeze. If you want the best windsurfing across surf then along East coast of the Philippine archipelago is the place to be. If your best windsurfing choice is smoother but fast then focus on the West coast during the northeast monsoon season (October through May). If you are a year round adventure windsurfer then travel throughout the central islands any time.

One of the challenges with windsurfing in the Philippines is that it is not always easy to rent boards and sails in all the places you would like to windsurf. Apart from at windsurfing centres, only the best watersports oriented beach resorts will have windsurfing equipment available for rent. Contact your best choice beach resort ahead of time to avoid disappointment.

The Best Windsurfing in The Northern Philippines

Starting at the top of Luzon the best windsurfing in the northern Philippines is at Pagudpud (Ilocos Norte) where a beautiful beach, clean water and some stiff breezes make for great windsurfing and some special photography. Further down the West coast of Luzon there are many windsurf-able locations, such as the beaches both North and South of San Fernando (La Union), but the next windsurfing hot spot down the coast is along the Moonbay Marina Beach, Subic Bay, where every year, usually in July, they have competitions that draw windsurfers from all around Asia. South of Manila, Anilao (Batangas) offers some great windsurfing and is another annual windsurfing competition venue, usually every March.

One of the top windsurfing destinations in the Philippines is the Sandbar Beach at Muelle Bay, Puerto Galera, which hosts an annual windsurfing tournament, every February - this windsurfing school in Puerto Galera offers a wide range of windsurfing boards and sails for rent.

Caliraya Lake, south of Manila, is renowned for its strong breezes and is one of the best lakes for windsurfing in the Philippines, and is probably one of the best in Asia; Caliraya Lake hosts a large windsurfing competition (usually every December). It is also possible to windsurf on the spectacular Taal Lake but renting a windsurfer there is not so easy.

The Best Windsurfing in The Central Philippines

No question, the best place for windsurfing in the central Philippines is Boracay Island, and Boracay Island has so many other attractions that it is more than just a windsurfing destination; the Boracay Funboard Cup in January is a very colourful windsurfing event. Cebu Island, Mactan Island, Bohol and Panglao islands are all great windsurfing destinations.

For the adventurous, Calicoan Island, near Guiuan (Eastern Samar) will be the next windsurfing hot spot in the central Philippines, offering Pacific Ocean surf windsurfing action for much of the year on the East coast of Calicoan Island, at the same time as offering fast, flat water windsurfing along the island's West coast.

The Best Windsurfing in The Southern Philippines

Windsurfing around Mindanao has been mostly focused on the southern coast near Davao and General Santos, where large expanses of flat water with good breezes have encouraged many windsurfing groups to develop and promote the sport.

Siargao Island (Surigao del Norte) is one of the newest windsurfing destinations and offers a mixture of Pacific Ocean swells and surf breaks and wave-sheltered lagoons. Siargao is best for windsurfing during the northeast Monsoon (October to May).

Learn Windsurfing in The Philippines

There are some beautiful places to learn windsurfing in the Philippines under the guidance of qualified instructors. The top windsurfing education centers are: Anilao (Batangas), Boracay (Aklan), Caliraya Lake (Laguna) and Puerto Galera (Mindoro).

Hot New Places For Windsurfing

One of the hot new places for windsurfing in 2009 has been Calicoan Island, near Guiuan (Eastern Samar), where tourism development to rival Boracay Beach has been forecast over the coming decade. Calicoan Island has long white sand beaches facing the Pacific Ocean on one side of the island and a string of pocket beaches on the other side. Windsurfing at Calicoan Island can be year-round as the island receives both the summer monsoon and winter monsoon winds. Currently, the best airport for Calicoan Island is Tacloban airport, on the neighboring island province of Leyte. From Tacloban it is about a two hour drive to Calicoan Island. In October 2009, at least one airline is expected to start scheduled flights direct to Guiuan airport from Manila.

The hot new place for windsurfing in 2010 will be at Bulalacao (boo-la-la-cow), southern Mindoro. In April 2009 the first Bulalacao windsurfing competition was held, with windsurfers coming from Puerto Galera, Anilao and elsewhere around the Philippines to explore the excellent windsurfing breezes around the thirteen beautiful islands of Bulalacao. The accommodations are few but very friendly in Bulalacao, with prices around Php 800-1,000 (US$20-25) per night. The nearest airport to Bulalacao is San Jose airport, Mindoro. The road from San Jose is currently graded-dirt, which makes the journey to Bulalacao town about two hours; the road is currently being concreted and widened, and should be ready for rapid transit by the end of 2009, making Bulalacao the hottest windsurfing destination for 2010, just 30 minutes from San Jose airport.