One would visit Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC)
mainly for wakeboarding. Wakeboarding was created from a combination of water
skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques. CWC is the place to be when you
talk about cable wakeboarding in the Philippines. In fact, it is already famous
worldwide prompting numerous international cable wake boarding competitions to
be held here as well. Wakeboarding, besides being one of the world’s fastest
growing sports and is gradually being recognized globally, has become a
lifestyle for others. A recently held international competition includes the
2009 World’s Ultimate Wake Championships. CWC
is owned by Governor L-Ray Villafuerte. Just so you know why their villa and
accommodations were named as Villa Rey and the lake was named as Lago del Rey.
We actually saw him there.
I was amazed how the complex looks like. I never
thought that despite of the simple living on this province, there is still such
impressive resort / complex placed in CamSur. CWC is located at Provincial
Capitol Complex Cadlan, Pili. It is approximately 15 - 20 minutes from Airport.
There are free shuttle from airport which will take you to CWC. And if I'm not
mistaken, there are also free shuttle from Naga to CWC. But if you fail to
catch the free shuttle, from Naga you may ride a bus going to Legazpi City and
ask the driver to drop you off at the Provincial Capitol. And from Capitol you
may ride a tricycle which will take you to CWC. CWC is truly a prime
destination for everyone, risen as the hottest destination to visit.
CWC’s
rates are affordable and this includes, among others:
Free use of basic equipment
(beginner wakeboards, water skis and knee boards) for those new to the sport.
Free basic and safety instruction
by CWCs resident instructors and operators.
World class obstacle courses
designed to challenge even the most advanced riders yet safe enough for the
brave ones who dare to try tricks for the very first time
CWC
also has the following facilities:
Gear up for the ride with the cable
park’s Pro Shop which is equipped with everything a rider needs to pursue the
desired sport.
Besides the ramps and obstacles,
the park has also set aside a beach volleyball area and a pool for those who
would like to take a break from the boards but still want to keep bathing under
the sun.
A Clubhouse is built for the
guest’s dining area and for live entertainment. Guests can also chill at the
Clubhouse and enjoy round of billiards, darts and football.
An elevated spectator area is
placed beside the lake so that the guests will have a better view of the
exhibitions.
The park also boasts of Wi-Fi
capability which enables the guests to take a break from the bustles of the city yet still remain connected to the necessities of the world.
v Accommodations within walking
distance from the park are also readily available for small or big groups.
While waiting for the operation to
start, we opted to eat at CWC Clubhouse near the Wake Boarding area (Solid Force).
The CWC Clubhouse has an array of meals to choose from. They serve the usual
fast food meals like burgers, cheese steaks, pizzas, etc. They also serve rice
meals for those who wanted a heavier meal. Their kitchen is a bit small and is
located at a small stall on the side. The guests could choose to seat on the
area overlooking those wake boarders near the water. The price is not that
cheap, like the meals you can buy at Manila.
Since we have no plans of spending
half day for it, I just asked for the 1 hour wakeboarding. The 1 hour rate for
beginners (cable pass rate) is PHP 125.00 + equipment rental (Life Vest &
Helmet) of PHP 40.00, initial deposit of PHP 500.00 is needed (but it's refundable).
It also includes a free use of swimming pool? Great deal, isn't it? So it ended
up Me, Errol, Archivald and Boggs for wakeboarding.
There is no official class /
instruction for this one. The instructor will only tell you what to do in a
span of 1 minute. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask, his
instructions are only brief. But don't be scared just have fun because all
experts were once beginners, right? We were given wrist bands to indicate our
time there. After fitting into the right gears, we went to the beginner’s area
where we can practice wake boarding for an hour.
My first to
third take doesn't turn well; I ended up in the middle. I tried another one,
then another one. OK, try and try, never give up! For my fourth try, I was able
to get it! It was fun, nakakaadik kahit
masakit sa muscles and I lined up
for another one and couple more times. It
is like skate boarding on water. It looks simple and easy as you look at the
people doing it but truth is, it is very difficult.
There are professional wakeboarders
(Filipinos and foreigners) doing their stunt at the lake. Kailan kaya ako magiging ganyan kagaling? Soon! (evil laugh).. :))
I super love it here. My break from
everything. I felt short for this experience and I hope anytime I can go here
and do wakeboarding! I know there will still be next time and I hope I have
companions (ehem 3idiots) with me who are game for such adventure! Next time I
will spend whole week in CWC! (haha) :)) Thanks Errol, Boggs and Archivald. I
definitely had fun!
