IT WAS JOHN Mark “Marama” Tokong’s first time to surf in Kata Beach in Thailand. But that didn’t stop him from conquering the breaks.
“The surf’s really good,” said the veteran surfer, speaking to Spin.ph over the phone as he prepared to fly home. “In the competition, I felt really confident. Surf lang talaga.”
It was a hotly contested men's shortboard finals between the Siargao surfer and Indonesia’s Nyoman Satria Mukti, who took to the water on August 28, the last day of the Phuket Beach Festival International Surfing Competition. Marama ended up with a combined 15.3 score versus Nyoman’s 13.40.
“Close fight talaga,” said Tokong. “Depende sa alon kasi. When the heat started, para wala pa akong alon, mga ten minutes na. My Plan A didn’t work, pero ayos naman, my Plan B worked.”

Marama, Casugay do country proud in surf fest
Also earning a podium finish was Roger Casugay, who ended up in third place in the men’s longboard category, trailing behind Dean Permana and Deni Firdaus, both from Indonesia.
“Same lang din [yung alon], kasi beach break,” said the La Union native. “Maganda talaga yung lugar.”
It’s another achievement for Casugay this 2022. Earlier this year, the hero surfer from the 2019 SEA Games flew to Budapest to receive his Pierre de Coubertin Act of Fair Play award. He’s also set to become a father.
But he knows there’s more to come, not just for him, but for the other PH waveriders.
“Marami pang ma-a-achieve this year,” said Casugay of Philippine surfing. “Halos lahat ngayon, pursigido mag-training para maging malakas na athlete.”
Marama’s win marked the end of five days of competition at the Phuket Beach Festival, which could help solidify Kata Beach into a top surfing destination.
“I’m sure after this event people will have a much better idea of what Thailand has to offer, not just as a tourist destination but also for surfing,” said Tipi Jabrik, contest director and president of the Asian Surf Cooperative. “This really shows off the diversity of the surf communities in Asia. Asia is an emerging region of surfing.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph