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How the ocean shaped a surf town
04.09.2023 - 12:11 / nationalgeographic.com
The east coast may have the dawn, but here in San Juan, La Union, we get the sunsets. Cumulus clouds pile high over the horizon as waves obliterate themselves on the sand, turning into a mist, making everything glow.
Along the shoreline, giant orbs made from bamboo, recycled plastic, and steel rise into the sky, like a spaceship ready for takeoff. Created by Filipino artist Leeroy New, Mebuyan’s Vessel is an outdoor artwork originally commissioned for the 2020 Burning Man festival. Because of the pandemic, it touched down here, instead.
Once a sleepy seaside town, San Juan has transformed into a gathering place for locals and travelers, artists and surfers, entrepreneurs and environmentalists. On any given weekend, something interesting is going on, whether it’s a drag show for Surftown Pride, an international surfing competition, or an art exhibit.
On this Saturday afternoon, it’s a synth music show. Ethereal sounds wash over the beach, as kids and their parents explore Mebuyan’s interconnected pods, tourists and residents alike sitting on blankets below. Leeroy intended the structure as a public space for gatherings like this one, in the hopes that it “can occasion all kinds of transformations.” At the heart of this community is a radically simple idea: that the sea should be free for anyone to enjoy, and stewarded by all.
As the sun slips under the horizon, everyone gathers to watch baby olive ridley turtles make their first journey to the ocean. The entire coastline is their sanctuary thanks to CURMA, a local organization that has converted sea turtle poachers into protectors. “Only 1 in 1000 turtles make it,” CURMA president Carlos Tamayo tells the crowd, “the ones that do come home to La Union every year, laying their eggs on the shore where they were born.”
The lively surf town we’ve nicknamed “Elyu” was actually born on Urbiztondo Beach, an unassuming strip of coastline tucked next to a highway and a long-dead volcano.
“Me and the boys had this kubo [bamboo hut] on the beach, we [called ourselves] Lokal Union,” remembers local surfer Angel Aquino. “A foreigner would pass by and we’d say, ‘Hey, come join us!’ We’d hang out, talk, and that was the start. We’d teach them to surf, and they’d buy us beer. We’d cook, then everybody eats. We’d do bonfire at night. We didn’t have electricity, or a toilet. But it was the cool place.”
The locals were wary of the foreign surfers at first, until they taught themselves to surf. Sharing waves day after day makes friendship easy. “It’s mother nature, so like, everybody is equal,” explains Angel’s wife, Marie. “As long as you are true and good, no one cares [about your background.]”
Lokal Union never asked for payment, but everyone found ways to pitch in,
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