John Mark "Marama" Tokong is the local legendary surfer of Cloud 9, Siargao. Born on September 29, 1996, he began his surfing career at a young age and has since become the most dominant surfer in the region (Stab Magazine) Marama is dedicated to promoting surfing in the Philippines. He operates the Marama Surf School in Siargao, offering lessons for all skill levels and sharing his expertise with aspiring surfers.  We talk about the WSL QS5000, competitive surfing, family time and travel, hairflicks, and so much more. Don't miss out on the bonus section in the end about foiling! Follow Marama: ⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/maramatokong/ Support the pod Like and Subscribe A big thank you to Siargao Love Stories Podcast Thank you to our sponsors: ⁠⁠Siargao Wakepark⁠⁠ (advertise here) ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Website⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Siargao_Foiler⁠ 00:00 Introduction 01:57 First time on podcast 02:19 Semi’s at WSL QS5000  04:48 Feelings during the heat 08:03 Support from the Cloud 9 Tower 09:12 Pumping Waves on competition 10:25 Winning 1 kilo of Rice in 2007 11:55 Marama’s Idols, Ossot, Carlito, Piso 13:02 Cloud 9 Barrel secret 14:04 Feeling Cloud 9, spiritual 15:01 The Hairflick Signature 16:00 Interference with Remar 18:17 In Competition, you are not friend  19:02 Helping the friends 20:22 From 1000 to 5000 22:45 Preparation for an Event 24:00 Envisioning before sleeping 24:50 Cloud 9 Titles 27:00 Spending Event Winnings 28:13 Travel Budget 30:41 Challenger Series 31:17 Visa Challenges 32:41 CT Dream Tour 34:44 Family life and travel 37:23 Tokong Family 39:10 Magic Boards 39:48 Social Media 41:13 Stab Magazine 42:02 Siargao Before and Now 43:46 Marama Surfschool 45:19 After Surfing Career 46:53 The Light Tower 47:41 Most Memorable Moment 48:46 Best Activity next to Surfing 49:37 The Supportive Community 50:23 Favorite Surf Sport 51:07 Favorite Restaurant 51:47 Favorite Filipino Word 52:08 Advice for other local surfers 53:27 Pressure being the local favorite 54:18 What’s Next for Marama 55:12 Advice from Gerry 55:49 Last Words 56:16 Bonus Section Foiling 57:35 The Wakepark Flag