EXPLORING DAHICAN BEACH, MATI

As it is with all other beach trips, I wake at the crack of dawn to go exploring.

What secrets will you tell me today, Dahican?

Here is the curious thing about Dahican: you hear the beach.

The waves crash against the shore day and night and you hear it all the way from your little bunk bed in your hotel room. You end up thinking about it. It made me remember the crashing waves in Pagudpud and how they seemed like a force of nature.

The second the sun was up, I set out to see just what makes Dahican beautiful.

The hotel room was so cold it ended up fogging up my lens. The sun hid from a curtain of light rain that thankfully, didn't reach the shore.

Here's my default I-literally-woke-up-like-this face. Ha.

What greeted me was a long, curving stretch of beach, fine white sand and a view of the mountains in the backdrop.

It was beautiful, and I was secretly glad to have come all the way here. The journey was a long and tough one, let me tell ya. There were few stops in between. All we wanted to do was to crash the night before and prayed that this place would be worth all the trouble.

And it is. It truly is. :)

Dahican is famous for surfing and skimboarding. I wasn't surprised to find some young ones already out and about, catching some waves.

I had the pleasure of seeing them ride those waves like pros. I'd make a separate post about it. :) The kids are that awesome.

Up ahead, I caught up with the rest of the gang who found a little store that cooks pancit canton. Ah, life's cheap thrills. I joined them and promptly dug in. Yum!

All along the beach are hotels, B&Bs and inns that offer accommodations of varying prices. Some have camp equipment that you can rent. Others, like Amihan, even offer surfing and skimming lessons. If you're up for it, don't be shy to ask around.

While it's heaven for surfers, it's hardly safe for the light-hearted swimmers. Babe, the waves here are legit. If you're not confident with your swimming skills, then I suggest you sit this one out.

A couple of us took a dip and while it was the funnest dip I've ever had--- we were whooping with joy as the waves just come out of nowhere and it was a mix of excitement and fear and adrenaline--- it's quite risky for people who can't swim well.

The current is strong and the beach suddenly drops a few steps from the shore, so be careful.

You can always sit back and relax and enjoy the view.