Falling in love with Dahican

It was high noon when I arrived in the sun-kissed Dahican in the City of Mati in the picturesque province of Davao Oriental. The seven-kilometer shoreline bleeds with awesomeness and offers charm that will detach you from the hustle of the metro.

PARADISE would be a perfect word to describe Dahican in the City of Mati, Davao Oriental, Philippines.

It's Saturday and the elements of a good day was present: blue sky, scattered clouds and the "mood" to vagabond. The day before, I was actually thinking of going to Davao to hit the big screen but when I was already in the terminal, I had a change of mind. It came as a blitzkrieg and without second thoughts,  I found myself sitting in the airconditioned bus that will take me to an exhilarating two-hour ride to the City of Mati.

Mati is actually a foreign land to me. The first time I was here was during the year 2003 when I competed in the Regional Schools Press Conference.Having read a lot of blog posts about Mati and heard exciting stories about this city, I made it a point to visit her and experience one of its tourism gems: the beach.

A mere 15-minute tricycle ride from the city proper, past towering coconut trees and smiling locals, is the Amihan sa Dahican where entrance is free. It is included in the seven-kilometer stretch of shoreline which has powdery-white sand and its water are crystal blue. Fronting the Pacific Ocean, the waves here could reach as high as ten feet, especially during monsoon months -- making it a perfect place for skimboarding and surfing. It thus has become a mecca for surfers, locals and foreigners alike who fell in love with the charm of Dahican.


One thing that I like about Dahican is that it's not noisy. You will really be forced to relax, while listening to the sound of the union of the white sand and the blue water which turns into a white foam the moment it reaches the shore.

Dahican is also home to the Amihan Surf and Skim Team, a group of children and teenagers who have already competed and won in several national competitions and had waved the Filipino flag in international skimboarding and surfing competitions.

A member of the Amihan Surf and Skim Team waits for a huge wave in Dahican.

The crystal-clear water and the sparkling white sand amazed me first but the children practicing skimboarding caught my attention for the rest of the afternoon while I was there. They're really good and young as they are,they really had the knack to become skimboarding superstars in the near future. Watching them from the shore while looking out for potential big waves and eventually run to it with their skim boards is actually a fun thing to do. Watching them play with the waves, splash the water up high and do the exhibition is indeed a spine-tingler.

Skimboarding. It's more fun in Dahican!

Dahican is indeed one of Davao Region's bests, and reasons are aplenty of why there's a need to go back and fall in love with the beach all over again. When I do, I would surely bring a paper and a pen -- probably to write or to sketch -- and savor what Dahican has to offer.

Way to go, Dahican! I surely can't wait to fall in love with you again soon.