Flowboarding and Bodyboarding in Flowhouse Manila

By Kin Enriquez -

I was happy to know that, finally, there's a flowboarding facility near Metro Manila. I tried flowboarding in Sentosa a few years back and I wanted to give it another go. At least there's one nearby now, which saves the trouble of flying to Singapore just to ride one.

The facility is called Flow House Manila, and it is located in Bacoor, in the outskirts of the metropolis. They recently just opened in April 2015 and I've been planning to check it out. I invited my friend James to drive there on a weekend. 

Me on a bodyboard.

Flowboarding, or flowriding, is riding a small board, almost similar in shape to a wakeboard or a skateboard sans the wheels. In a sense it combines surfing, wakeboarding and snowboarding in one. More advanced riders can do tricks like carving and 

 A variation is bodyboarding, which instead of using a stand-up board, you ride in a foam bodyboard in prone and kneeling position.  

Trying to maneuver the bodyboard

You ride on artificial waves created by rushing water that is pumped  - at about 30,000 gallons a minute - over a padded, angled surface. There's padding everywhere, to protect one's head and body in the event of a spill. There are two sections in Flow House Manila where riders can ride simultaneously.


We arrived in the facility just after lunch. I signed up and paid for next available session as soon as I got there. It was still early so there were only three of us (me and a couple) in the group. We have an instructor, and the first thing he showed us is how to ride the bodyboard. It is my first time to try bodyboarding, first in a prone position, then on a kneeling position. 

 Riding it in prone position is not difficult. You just ride on it, and maneuver it by gently rocking the bodyboard side by side and by changing the position of your legs. The kneeling position is a bit tricky, as it's more difficult to balance and control it. You also use your hands to deflect the rushing water, to make the board go up and down the slope.

Thumbs up!

After the bodyboard we tried riding the flowboard. Although I've tried it before I welcome the tips given by the instructor. We started with the  instructor holding each of us by hand and nudging the board to the water until we get out balance, then using a rope to ease in. We all took turns after the other, and sometimes you get a do-over if you fall too quickly.


I'm still a beginner basically, and it showed in the first few times that I've tried, evidenced by the spills I've gotten. Although the surface are padded, there's still a risk for injuries, as you might get hit by a wayward board, or get slammed against the far end wall. I also stubbed my toe when I tried breaking my fall, which kinda hurt in an annoying way. 

Watch your head
Soon after I got more confident and I was again able to ride the board without falling, at least most of the time. I still think I still need to work on keeping the board more steady and getting more control as keep it from veering from side to side. Another staff joined us in our section and offered to give us more riding tips, which were helpful.


 Finally.
After I got more confident I practiced entry without the rope and (literally) the hand-holding. I was able to ride the board longer too, and all the way to the top of the slope and coming back down without falling. I think I've progressed here better that I did in wakeboarding.

I got so stoked that I wanted to extend for another session, but all available slots for next one were filled out already. Bummer. Well it only means I'd be coming back for more. 

Getting tips from the staff

How to Get There
Flow House Manila is located in Molino Boulevard, Bacoor, Cavite, which is just outside Metro Manila. If driving you may take the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and take the Muntinglupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX) exit. Continue on MCX up to the end then follow the road to Molino Road, then to Molino Boulevard. The facility is just behind an unfinished mall (Seasons Mall). 


Useful Info
One ride (1 hour session) costs PhP650, 3-hr session will set you back PhP1200. Non-riders will pay a PhP300 entrance fee, but it is consumable for drinks and food. 

It is open on weekends from 8am to 12 mn, and 10am to midnight on weekdays.

Website: www.flowhousemanila.ph

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Golden Tara of Agusan

By Kin Enriquez -
Image
One of the main reasons why I am always drawn to museums when I travel is that I would want to see, in real life, the fascinating things that I've only read in books or have seen in the films, such as archaeological artifacts or the paintings of Van Gogh and Dali . Museums give you access to all that. I majored in History when I was an undergraduate in the University of the Philippines. As such, I am always excited to see artifacts and historical curiosities that I encounter during my travels. But sometimes, they also make me sad, like when I saw the Golden Tara of Agusan in the Field Museum in Chicago.  The reverse of the Golden Tara The Golden Tara is a gold statue of a Hindu-Malayan deity discovered in 1917 in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, in southern Philippines. Weighing about four pounds, the 21-karat gold statue depicts a woman deity sitting cross-legged, ornamented with a headdress and various accruements in the arms and legs....
Read more

Off the Beaten Track: Mapun, Tawi-Tawi

By Kin Enriquez -
Image
Guest post by Mara Ione Sarail Mapun? Where is that?” I get this question a lot when people ask me about my hometown. I’d ramble on and on the island (its location and the culture and the pretty spots...) but since the place is not really in any of the Philippines tourist spots and is in the middle of nowhere, I might as well talk about Atlantis instead. But the island does exist.  Mapun Tawi-Tawi or Cagayan de Sulu) is an island municipality in the Sulu Sea on the southwestern extreme of the Philippines, located very close to Sabah. Or from the way I see it on the Philippine map, the island is located on the Philippine’s “armpit”. Mapun is a volcanic island. The picture above shows Mt. Nanggoy, an inactive volcano near the Sapah Lake. The most popular tourist attraction in Mapun would be the three crater lakes on the west part of the island. Legend says that the three lakes were once volcanoes that erupted together. The first two, Danao and Singuwang, b...
Read more

How To Track Your Travels with Google Location History

By Kin Enriquez -
Image
Ever traveled to a place then forgot the name of that small shop that sells the best tasting cronuts you've ever had? Or have you ever wanted to retrace your steps in your travels, down to the smallest alleyways you passed along the way but couldn't? Here's a travel tool that enables you to do that - so well that it's cool and scary at the same time: the Google Location History. I use the service - which you need to enable on your mobile phone and Google account - to look back at my travels and generate some cool maps that retrace my steps during my trips. Google Maps, by itself, is an incredibly useful app already; I cannot count how many times I've used it when traveling to find my hostel, the nearest subway station, that cronut place. Having location history enable, made it cooler and more useful. Take a look at these examples: The top photo shows my movements around Singapore during my trip there in September, It basically showed my movements in t...
Read more