Lago De Oro – Wakeboarding 101

Though the weather wasn’t that good, we still pursued our plan to try wakeboarding in Lago De Oro. It was a two-month plan born out of our surfing trip last May. We’re supposed to leave at 6AM but because of sudden turn of events (me being late.. :P), we left at 8AM… My bad.. 🙂 In approximately 3 hours and a few minutes, we reached the place coming from Ortigas, Pasig City.

We had our lunch first at a nearby eatery located in the town proper.  It was a 15-20 minute drive and if you missed buying snacks on your way to Batangas, you can definitely purchase goodies at a nearby grocery store.

Why go on a Monday? – We had a line up of company activities that fell on the weekends  of July and that’s one enough reason we didn’t push it on either a Saturday or Sunday.  Second, rates during weekdays are cheaper and the number of guests shall be considerably fewer than that during weekends.  (Take note of that as a tip)… Lastly, it’s my rest day.. but it’s just a coincidence..  a coincidence to my advantage.. haha 🙂

Situated in Calatagan, Batangas where the golden sunset is viewed, Lago de Oro Cable Ski Park and Resort is considered the first Cable Wakeboard Park in the Philippines.  It’s a 3-4 hour drive coming from Manila.  It has two areas for wakeboard sessions – Easy Start for the beginners and the Main Cable for the pros and the not-so-beginners.

Main Cable - this one's for the pros

Easy Start - the smaller one for the beginners with no ramps for exhibitions

Arriving at noon wasn’t that bad at all for we all decided to do half-day session. *Kasi walang choice, late kami dumating eh.. hehe*

Guests can choose from either doing a whole-day wakeboarding session or just simply half-day.  Sessions begin at:

A.  9:30AM-12:30PM & 1:30PM-4:30PM during weekdays (rate is 700Php/person)

B.  9:30AM-1:00PM & 2:00PM-5:30PM during weekends (rate is 1,000Php/person).

Before we start the afternoon session, we spent time checking other areas of Lago.

The Reception - this is where you'll get your ballers as passes to the two cable systems

Tidy road and fresh-looking greens

Swimming pool with sauna on the side

The pool is 4-6ft deep.  The deepest is on the far side so if going there with kids, better stay in the jacuzzi looking pool. 🙂  If kids doesn’t want to go for a dip, there’s a small playground where they can enjoy and a trampoline which the resort rents for 50php/15 minutes.

Holy Sheeeeeeeeeep!

Upon entering the gate, you’ll see a bunch of sheeps on the sides.  Guests can also have the chance to feed them. 🙂

Meee-eh-eh-eh-ehhh.... Loud yet tame

Would you care for an overnight stay?

Though we opted for day tour, getting a room for a day of extended stay would’ve been rewarding as well.  The rooms looks simple and neat.

Now it’s time to get excited.

Extreme but still fashionable

Foreigners also enjoy waterskiing in Lago

Doing some tricks

Waiting in line made this guy sleepy.. 🙂

Jump on the ramp

Gonna get some splash!

Making it look a lot easier.. with one hand!

Who says it's only a sport for men?

Two heads are better than one..

Prepping up

Briefing - in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1 Photo credit: Meimei

At first, I wasn’t that really up to the challenge but it would be fun to give this a try.  I was a bit nervous to try it – who wouldn’t be? First Time is always nerve-wracking.. 😛 lol The instructor is soft spoken.  I can barely hear the things he’s telling me.  But to sum it up all he wanted to say is:

1. Straighten your arms

2. Put your right foot a bit forward (for the right-handed)

3. Don’t pull back or else you’ll fall

4. If you fall, let go of the cable immediately

5. Just feel the pull and don’t get nervous – MADALI LANG YAN.. 😛

Inip na? 😛 Photo credit: Meimei

Aria! Photo credit: Meimei

Looks pro? Nah... I fell right after taking that shot.. 😛

The cable pull is machine-operated.  It’s not as fast as what you think it is, but it gradually gains speed as you reach the other end.  Then on the other end, you must position yourself to go back for the cable will pull you again once you are  ready.

You must complete the turn to be able to get back and unfortunately, I was only able to complete one way – WEAK! 😛 But falling into the water doesn’t hurt.  It’s just waist deep so you can walk your way to get back and stand in line again.  It will really be worth it if there were only a few guests lining up.  In our case, we were able to maximze our time.  Half day session is enough though there were  other groups who were present that day.

Aside from wakeboarding, other activities include jetski, billiards, table tennis, darts, basketball, volleyball, snorkelling and boating.

If you are planning to try something new for an adventure, check Lago de Oro’s packages here.

P.S. If someone might be asking for the meaning of Lago De Oro – it’s Golden Lake.