Red Wave surf & coffee shop

I've arrived in Siargao almost a year ago and I discovered a very small and humble fisher village, the Barangay of Salvacion.

I immediately connected and fell in love with its community, they were the most welcoming and caring people I have ever met. I also felt in love with the place itself, it is wild and pure, with its good and bad things. It became challenging when the wounds of a motorcycle accident left me immobile for a month.

A family from Salvacion adopted me and took care of me, it was very challenging cause the house had no running water, I was sleeping in the floor, couldn't cook, mosquitos, heat.. They gave me everything although they don't have much. Even though it was a really hard experience, it brought me closer to a lifestyle with certain values and rhythm that I started to think about recurrently since a while ago.

I tapped to another reality that I knew existed and it twisted my world upside down... For good.

It really inspired me and as soon as I got better I felt like doing something for the community, specially for this family and the kids that accompanied me and showed me all the surf spots, guided me and teached me.

In May 2023 I started this project called Red Wave, it is going to be mainly a place where this this kids that are surf instructors can connect with people that comes to Salvacion to surf. From beginners that needs instruction lessons to more advance surfers that just need guide.

Right now they don't have a meeting point, neither boards to teach the beginners, so they have to rent the boards to a supplier, so what they finally earn is a ridiculous amount, if ever they get someone to teach because it is very rare that someone gets here looking for an instructor, as most people don't know there is this possibility here.

This place would be the connection for both sides, besides a place where to be able to hang, share and connect.

I would love to give this kids/people more visibility and therefore the opportunity to be able to earn so they can buy a motorcycle, afford to put gasoline, buy a phone and so they can at least look for opportunities outside of the village, otherwise is a loop that even if they want to evolve it is very difficult if they don't get a consistent salary.

This place would be the connection for both sides and place where to be able to hang, share and connect.

It would be also a local carinderia (some sort of coffee shop with local food ) that will be run by the family that helped me. Their income is almost inexistent so I hope this carinderia can give them a more stable salary and improve their quality life a little bit!

They had one carinderia in the past, but in 2021 Super Typhoon Odette category 5, destroyed absolutely everything in the island and they were not able to recover after that so far.

I have financed everything myself since May that we started, we had to stop cause I didn't had more funds, had to work and once I made some more money, came back to continue with the construction work back in November, it is almost done but it needs some last details, do the chairs and tables of the carinderia, buy 5-6 boards (any donations of boards are also welcome!), kitchen appliances, build the entrance and doors, and the installation of running water (this will be a big game changer)!

We are already a little bit behind as the surfing season in Salvacion started in October and ends in April, would be incredible if we can open the place by January 2024 so we can start running Red Wave and get better for the next season!

Anyone that is able to contribute to this cause, even with a bit, will be super appreciated by this community and by me of course :)

Sharing is also very important, if you can't donate, sharing will be super helpful too to spread the word!

Forever grateful!

Thank you.