Calicoan Island

Last updated
Calicoan
Calicoan Island (aerial view).jpg
Calicoan Island
Philippines relief location map (square).svg
Red pog.svg
Calicoan
Location within the Philippines
Geography
Coordinates 10°59′2″N125°48′25″E / 10.98389°N 125.80694°E / 10.98389; 125.80694
Adjacent to
Administration
Region Eastern Visayas
Province Eastern Samar
Municipality Guiuan

Calicoan is an island east of Leyte Gulf, off the southeastern point of Samar in the Philippines. It is one of the islands that are part of the municipality of Guiuan, in the province of Eastern Samar. The island can be reached from Tacloban by a three-hour bus ride. It is dubbed as the Surfing Capital of the Visayas. [1] [2]

Contents

Geography

Calicoan Island has white sand beaches with rocky bottoms. In the middle of the island are six lagoons ringed by forest, the largest being 30 hectares (74 acres) in size. At the cliff side margin of Calicoan's forests are dozens of caves, including Linao Cave. On the northern tip of Calicoan are wetlands inhabited by fish, shrimp, and crabs.

The surrounding waters support several marine-based industries such as fish farming, seaweed farming, and pearl farming.

Calicoan holds a strategic location as it is situated between Guiuan and Sulangan in Eastern Samar, making it a natural stopping point for travelers moving between these two places.

Attractions

The island's landscape is noted for its pristine beaches and lush greenery. [3]

Typhoon Haiyan

During the landfall of Typhoon Haiyan (Super Typhoon Yolanda) on 7 November 2013, large sections of the eastern coast of the island were seriously damaged.

Surfing Competition

Owing to its popularity as the Surfing Capital of the Visayas, the National Surfing Competition, the Pilipinas Surfing Competition was held from 15–21 September 2023 at Calicoan Island. [4] The event attracted athletes from across the country. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leyte (province)</span> Province in Eastern Visayas, Philippines

Leyte, officially the Province of Leyte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region, occupying the northern three-quarters of Leyte Island. Its capital is the city of Tacloban, administered independently from the province. Leyte is situated west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran. To the west across the Camotes Sea is the province of Cebu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biliran</span> Province in Eastern Visayas, Philippines

Biliran, officially the Province of Biliran, is an island province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Biliran is one of the country's smallest and newest provinces. Formerly a sub-province of Leyte, it became an independent province in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Samar</span> Province in Eastern Visayas, Philippines

Northern Samar, officially the Province of Northern Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catarman and is located at the northern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the south are the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar. To the northwest, across the San Bernardino Strait is Sorsogon; to the east is the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean and to the west is Samar Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Samar</span> Province in Eastern Visayas, Philippines

Eastern Samar, officially the Province of Eastern Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Borongan. Eastern Samar occupies the eastern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the north is the province of Northern Samar and to the west is Samar province. To the east lies the Philippine Sea, part of the vast Pacific Ocean, while to the south lies Leyte Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samar (province)</span> Province in Eastern Visayas, Philippines

Samar, officially the Province of Samar, formerly named Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Catbalogan. It is bordered by Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte and Leyte Gulf, and includes several islands in the Samar Sea. Samar is connected to the island of Leyte via the San Juanico Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tacloban</span> Capital of Leyte, Philippines

Tacloban, officially the City of Tacloban, is highly urbanized city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. The city is autonomous from the province of Leyte, although it serves as its provincial capital. According to the 2020 census, Tacloban has a population of 251,881, making it the most populous city in the Eastern Visayas. The city is located 360 miles (580 km) southeast from Manila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Julian, Eastern Samar</span> Municipality in Eastern Samar, Philippines

San Julian, officially the Municipality of San Julian, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,800 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Antonio, Northern Samar</span> Municipality in Northern Samar, Philippines

San Antonio, officially the Municipality of San Antonio, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8,882 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borongan</span> Capital of Eastern Samar, Philippines

Borongan, officially the City of Borongan, is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 71,961 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guiuan</span> Municipality in Eastern Samar, Philippines

Guiuan, officially the Municipality of Guiuan, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. It constitutes the southeastern extremity of Samar Island and some adjacent islands, surrounded by Leyte Gulf and the Philippine Sea, two major bodies of water that makes the town the surfing capital of the Visayas. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,361 people, making it the most populous municipality in Eastern Samar and the second most populous administrative division in the entire province after the capital city Borongan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawaan</span> Municipality in Eastern Samar, Philippines

Lawaan, officially the Municipality of Lawaan, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 13,003 people. It is home to Bolusao Watershed Forest Reserve, primarily located in Barangay Bolusao.

The super regions of the Philippines are an informal and de facto defunct grouping of parts of regions and provinces of the Philippines based on their economic strengths. According to Executive Order No. 561, which establishes these regions,

"[These] groupings neither supersede current political boundaries nor alter the regional development councils as established by existing laws and issuances."

Guiuan Airport is an airport located in the municipality of Guiuan, in the province of Eastern Samar in the Philippines. It is classified as a feeder airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, an attached agency of the Department of Transportation that is responsible for the operations all airports in the Philippines, except the major international airports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guiuan Church</span> Roman Catholic church in Eastern Samar, Philippines

The Immaculate Conception Parish Church, commonly known as Guiuan Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the municipality of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Borongan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Visayas</span> Administrative region of the Philippines

Eastern Visayas is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region VIII. It consists of three main islands, Samar, Leyte and Biliran. The region has six provinces, one independent city and one highly urbanized city namely, Biliran, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Ormoc and Tacloban. The highly urbanized city of Tacloban is the sole regional center. These provinces and cities occupy the easternmost islands of the Visayas group of islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guiuan Protected Landscape and Seascape</span> Protected area in the Philippines

The Guiuan Protected Landscape and Seascape, also known as the Guiuan Marine Reserve, is a protected area associated with the Guiuan Island Group which is located off the coast of the municipality of Guiuan on the eastern side of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. The protected area consists of the following islands from within the group: Calicoan, Manicani, Suluan, Tubabao, Victory, Homonhon and other smaller islands and their surrounding reefs. It also includes the coastal area of mainland Guiuan in Eastern Samar covering a total area of 60,448 hectares. The land which now comprises the conservation area was previously declared as a Marine Reserve and Tourist Zone and was placed under the administration and control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in 1978. It was re-proclaimed and re-classified as a protected landscape/seascape in 1994 under the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Visayas</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Eastern Visayas of the Philippines

The COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Visayas is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus reached Eastern Visayas on March 23, 2020, when the first case of the disease was confirmed in Northern Samar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindanao–Eastern Visayas rain forests</span>

The Mindanao–Eastern Visayas rain forests ecoregion covers the lowland rain forests of the island of Mindanao and of the easternmost of the Visayas Islands in the Philippines. Although 63% of this ecoregion is covered with closed broadleaf evergreen forest or open forest, much of this has been disturbed in the past by human activity, and many of the rare species of the area have been relegated to the isolated areas or higher elevations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leyte–Samar Naval Base</span> Major World War II base

Leyte–Samar Naval Base was a large United States Navy base in the Philippines on the Islands of Leyte, Samar and the San Pedro Bay. The base was built during World War II to support the many naval ships fighting and patrolling in the South West Pacific theatre of war as part of the Pacific War. A number of naval facilities were built on the east coast of Leyte island starting October 20, 1944. The first base was built at between the city of Tacloban and Anibong Point, a mile north of the city. Headquarters for the Seventh Fleet was built at Tolosa, 10 miles south of Tacloban on Leyte. The bases were on the large San Pedro Bay in Leyte Gulf which provided safe anchorage for many ships. Due to the lack of dry ground in Tacloban a second base was built on the east side of Leyte Gulf, on the south tip of Samar, on Calicoan Island and Tubabao Island. At Samar, a large Naval Depot was built to support the Pacific War. Samar was about 50 miles across Leyte Gulf from Tacloban. All construction was done by the Navy's Seabees.

References

  1. "DIY Budget Travel Guide to Guiuan, Eastern Samar".
  2. "Summer in Samar".
  3. "Calicoan Island". cebubestsellingproperties.tripod.com. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  4. "Calicoan Odyssey Waves". UPSA. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  5. Amazona, Roel (September 19, 2023). "Eastern Samar's Calicoan Island wants to be next surfing destination".