Waves & Love

19/08/2026

13/08/2026

~ Coconut shells, school lunches, and a group of women changing north Siargao from the inside out.

Introducing Kolekbibo, one of the most quietly powerful initiatives in the north of the island.

Founded in 2022 by Michelle Villarosa, Kolekbibo works where the surf crowd rarely looks: in the schools, in the homes, and in the lives of the mothers, children and families who make this community what it is. Nutritious school lunches served every morning to elementary students in San Mateo and Abad Santos. A maternal empowerment program supporting pregnant and lactating mothers through wellness, skills and connection. And CocoBibo, a women-led livelihood initiative turning coconut shells, a waste product of the island, into handcrafted jewelry that generates real income.

Community first. Empowerment, not dependency. Gentleness as strength.

And there is a place for you in all of it. Help prepare and serve lunches to local schoolchildren, and watch how a nutritious meal changes the energy in a classroom. Sit down with the women of CocoBibo and learn to make jewelry from coconut shells, a craft session that is as much about connection as it is about creation. Or join the BIBO Kids program, reading, painting and moving with children who are full of energy, curiosity and things to teach you right back.

Every skill has its use here. And if you are not sure what yours is, Kolekbibo will figure it out.

🇵🇭 North Siargao, Philippines

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Kolekbibo

06/08/2026

Do you ever come back from a surf trip thinking « damn, I wish I could’ve given something back »? 🤔
Well... we built something for that.

Waves & Love officially launches September 1, 2026 ! Online, live, and ready to book, with 2 destinations already on the map, and many many more to come 🌍
We’ve worked hard to make sure YOU design your perfect trip :

🏄 Choose your comfort : dorm room, private room, or full private apartment.
🍽️ Pick your meal plan : breakfast, half board, full board…to suit your tastes.
🤝 Choose your impact : pick a mission that speaks to you : environment, education, sports, animal care, etc.. and volunteer 2 to 10 hours a week, on your terms.
✅ Real impact guaranteed : donate 8-30% of your trip straight to a local NGO. 100% goes to their fieldwork.

To everyone who’s believed in this project, supported us, shared it, hyped it up, thank you 🤍

Ready to plan a trip that actually means something?
Waves and Love is waiting for you, book your spot, available 01.09.26

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📸Siargao Surf Photographer

30/07/2026

~ Some places mark you for life. Lobitos is one of them.

This one is personal.

Waves Lobitos is where I (Thomas) spent two of the most formative years of my life as a volunteer, teaching English and surf to the kids of this small coastal town. It is where I met el mostrito Daniela (🫶). Where I watched children grow, session after session, year after year, into people who carry the ocean with them everywhere they go.

It all started with Dave Aabo, whose vision through Waves International planted the seed. Henry Espinoza | SURF & BIENESTAR and Luis Tinoco inherited that spirit and never stopped growing it. An NGO rooted entirely in the community, led by locals, for locals. Since 2021, Waves Lobitos has been empowering the children and teenagers of Lobitos through surf, skate, art, environmental education, English and jiu-jitsu. Over 90 kids across five programs. Every single one of them a reason to show up.

When you travel with Waves & Love, you step into that world.

Paddle out with Bruno and Jhony to help coach the next generation of Lobitos surfers. Join Steve or Alejandro on the streets or at the skate park for an afternoon session. Sit with Sonia in the art and conservation workshop and watch a child express something they did not know they had inside them. Or step onto the mat with Luchito for jiu-jitsu, where discipline and resilience are taught the best way possible: by doing.

The kids of Lobitos are, on their own, an incredible reason to make the trip.

🇵🇪 Lobitos, Peru

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OLAS PARA EL DESARROLLO

22/07/2026

~ The waves of Yoff made her a champion. The people of Yoff made her who she is. She has never forgotten either. And now she gives it all back.

Meet Déguène Thioune, surfer, Senegalese champion, African champion 2025, and the Waves & Love ambassador for the Dakar Peninsula.

She did not discover surfing through a camp, a coach or a sponsor. Her little sister pointed at someone riding a wave one afternoon, and that's where everything changed. One session. That was all it took.

Since then, the ocean has taken her everywhere. Local and international competitions, new countries, new lineups. But the metric she actually cares about is different. It is the kids from the neighbourhood learning to stand up on a board for the first time. The smiles at the end of a session with Surfkids Shredding Senegal. The way surf has a way of bringing people together on a beach in a way not much else can.

And that is the part of Dakar she wants you to see. The version that does not make it into the guidebooks. Waves & Love is her way of making sure more people find it.

🇸🇳 Dakar Peninsula, Senegal

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deguene thioune



📸: 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒂 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒅

19/07/2026

~ Born with salt in his blood and Siargao in his soul.

Meet Noah Arkfeld, 22 years old, half American, half Filipino, and the Waves & Love ambassador for Siargao.

He caught his first wave at Tuazon Point on his fourth birthday. His dad took him out right in front of the house, 80 meters of beachfront that became his backyard, his classroom, and his obsession. Every morning, he wakes up and looks out the window to check the waves. Some people dream of that life. For Noah, it has just always been Tuesday.

In 2022, he was ranked national champion and number one surfer in the Philippines. The title came at Cloud 9, right where it all started.

But ask him what Siargao means to him and he will not reach for a trophy. Growing up here means the community is family. Learning from older surfers. Supporting each other in and out of the water. Watching visitors arrive and seeing firsthand the difference it makes when they come with respect, spend local, and take the time to actually connect with the island and the people who call it home.

That is exactly why he joined Waves & Love.

Noah's advice for your first time in Siargao: don't rush, don't over-plan. Get on a motorbike, talk to locals, and go straight to Cloud 9. Even just watching the waves from the tower is already something else.

🇵🇭 Siargao, Philippines

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Noah Arkfeld

10/07/2026

~ The waves will bring you to Lobitos. What you find underneath might keep you there too. Now let Nikki show it to you.

Nikki arrived in Lobitos with 20 years of teaching behind her, a deep knowledge of marine ecosystems, and a simple conviction: that the ocean cannot protect itself. So in 2024, she founded Ocean Spirit Project.

Education = Awareness = Respect. Three words. One mission.

OSP works in the local schools of Lobitos, bringing ocean education to children aged 6 to 18. It organises beach clean-ups, builds the infrastructure that makes them count, and is currently reconstructing the complete skeleton of a juvenile Humpback whale found on the shore — to be exhibited publicly in the village as a permanent reminder of what this coastline is home to.

One morning you are in a classroom, watching a 10-year-old realise for the first time what lives beneath the surface they surf every day. The next you are on the beach at sunrise, collecting waste, every kilo weighed and recorded. Or on your knees working on the whale bones, piece by piece, contributing to something that will stand in Lobitos long after you have left.

Whatever it looks like, it starts with showing up.

🇵🇪 Lobitos, Peru

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Ocean Spirit Project

03/07/2026

~ Surfing gave these kids something no classroom could.

Introducing Surf Kids Shredding Senegal, our fifth NGO partner and the beating heart of the Yoff surf community.

Born in 2009 when Marta and Aziz founded Malika Surf, and officially launched as a youth program in 2019, Surf Kids Shredding Senegal is built on one simple conviction: that sport is one of the most powerful tools for education. Not instead of school. Alongside it. On the beach of BCEAO in Yoff, a team of seven coaches works daily with young surfers to build confidence, discipline and a sense of belonging that goes far beyond the water.

Girls and boys. Beginners and competitors. All welcome.

When you travel with Waves & Love, you step into that world. Get in the water and help coach the next session alongside the local instructors. Sit down with the kids after surf and support them through homework, reading and English practice. Lead a workshop on ocean conservation and watch the same children who shred waves in the morning become the ones asking the sharpest questions in the afternoon.

The surf spot is right there. The school is steps away. And the community will make you feel at home before you have even dried off.

🇸🇳 Dakar Peninsula, Senegal

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Surfkids Shredding Senegal

25/06/2026

~ Siargao’s most loyal locals do not surf. But they need you just as much.

Introducing Be Pawsitive, our fourth NGO partner on the island.

Founded in 2023 by a team of volunteers with a strong desire to change the island pawsitively, Be Pawsitive is tackling one of Siargao’s most overlooked issues: the thousands of stray dogs and cats living on the streets, on the beaches, and around the surf spots you know so well.

Ten volunteers. Free sterilization clinics. Monthly feeding days. And an annual charity run that brings the whole island together every June. Behind the postcard version of Siargao, there is a reality that needs attention. And Be Pawsitive has a plan for that.

And when you travel with Waves & Love, you get to be part of that plan. Join a feeding session in Santa Fe, walk the dogs sheltered at the partner clinic, or take part in a guided tour of the sterilization program. Every gesture counts. Every animal saved changes the cycle.

And if your trip happens to land in June, the Be Pawsitive Run might just be the most fun morning you spend on this island.

🇵🇭 North Siargao, Philippines

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BE PAWSITIVE

18/06/2026

Lauching very soon. Stay tuned.

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