Siargao, Philippines | The Teardrop Island
Siargao sits in the Philippine Sea like a secret the ocean almost kept to itself. Shaped like a teardrop and draped in coconut palms, this island in Surigao del Norte has long been a pilgrimage for surfers chasing the legendary Cloud 9 barrel, one of the most photographed waves in the world. But beneath its surf-town swagger lies something older and quieter: fishing villages where bangka boats are painted in sun-bleached colours, mangrove forests thick with the sound of birds, and lagoons so still and blue they look like the sky decided to lie down for a rest. The light here arrives golden and low off the Pacific, softening everything it touches before the afternoon clouds build into silver towers over the water.
The watercolour palette of Siargao is pulled straight from its tides and tree canopy. Deep lagoon teal and the washed jade of coconut fronds anchor the greens, while the white of crushed coral sand and the warm amber of shallow reef water at low tide push everything toward luminosity. At dusk the sky layers itself in terracotta and rose above a horizon that never quite stops moving.
