CORE TO SURF
Paddle longer. Pop up cleaner. Ride with control.
A 3-day Pilates and surf retreat in Siargao · by Feral Pilates and Vultun
Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November 2026 · Eight places
Watch the best longboarders and the first thing you see is what they leave out. No arms flapping for balance. No folding at the waist to stay on. No hurry. They stand tall, step lightly, and let the board run.
That ease is trained. It comes from a centre strong enough that the arms have nothing to do, hips that carry your weight one leg at a time, and a spine that stays long while everything under it moves. The World Surf League writes it into the rules. In longboarding, the highest score goes to the hardest surfing done with the most style, flow and grace. [1]
Josie Prendergast surfs like that. She was born on this island, and when she was asked for her favourite wave here she named Jacking Horse, the wave in front of our spa. [2] She says longboarding reminds her of dancing. [3] She trains with us at Feral, and she says Pilates has done more for her surfing than anything else.
So we built three days around it.
- What it is
- A 3-day Pilates and surf retreat in Siargao, by Feral Pilates and Vultun
- When
- Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November 2026
- Where
- Jacking Horse, General Luna, Siargao (the surf). Feral Studio and the Vultun clinic, SOS Gym Complex, Malinao (the studio and the clinic).
- Who it is for
- Pilates people who want to surf. Surfers who want to surf better.
- Places
- Eight places
- Price
- PHP 47,000. PHP 37,000 for Siargao residents and Source members.
- How to apply
- Tell us a little about you and your surfing. We reply within a day, and we will hold your place while we talk.
Most retreats ask you to move in. This one does not.
Each day is one block, built around the surf. We set the session the night before by the tide and the wind, so you are in the water when Jacking Horse is at its best and not when a timetable says so. A coach for every two surfers. Every wave filmed.
Then the studio in Malinao: the reformer, the mat, and your own footage on a screen, so you can see what your body is doing and train the part that changes it. Lunch is ours. The afternoon is yours. A massage and a red light session are waiting in it, and a board if you want more waves.
You keep your own bed and your own evenings. And you are on Siargao the week the world tour surfs Cloud 9. You should get to watch it.
Why Pilates changes your surfing
Paddle longer.
About half of every session is paddling. Riding is less than a tenth. [4] Paddling means holding your chest off the board with your upper back, wave after wave. The swan on the mat and the pulling work on the reformer train those same muscles, [5] and Pilates builds the trunk endurance that keeps you out there for the next set. [6]
Pop up cleaner.
The pop-up is a press and a landing. How hard you can press into the board sets how fast you get to your feet. [7] And your deep abdominals switch on a moment before your arms move. [8] Pilates is the practice of that order: centre first, then the limbs. On the reformer we train the press with the spine held long, so your feet land under you and not behind you.
Ride with control.
The best surfers balance by feel, through their feet, and lean on their eyes less. [9] Top surfers turn through the upper back about 64 degrees. People who do not surf manage about 41. [10] Standing work on the reformer trains balance one leg at a time, and in a trial with soccer players, reformer training improved balance, agility and single-leg hops. [11] A steady centre is what lets the arms go quiet and the steps slow down.
You will not get all of that in three days. You will see where it starts, on film, and leave knowing what to train.
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Day one. Baseline.
We film your first session and take a baseline at our clinic: your numbers, your posture, how you move. No judgment in it. It is information, and by Sunday it is the most satisfying thing you own. Then the mat, built for the paddle and the pop-up.
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Day two. Deepen.
Back in the water with yesterday's notes in your head. Your coach walks you through the footage. Reformer and mat in two small groups, then the anatomy of breath: how your centre holds you on a board, and how to use it. Sound healing at golden hour, if you want it.
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Day three. Showcase.
The best tide of the three. Then day one and day three, side by side on the screen. Most people are quiet for a moment when they see it. You leave with the footage, a written plan, and seven people who were strangers on Friday.
Included
| Included | Value |
|---|---|
| Three coached surf sessions at Jacking Horse, one coach for every two surfers, boards included | PHP 8,100 |
| Every session filmed, from the beach and by drone | PHP 6,750 |
| Three video reviews with a coach, the same day you surf | PHP 10,500 |
| A baseline at our clinic: your biometrics, your posture, how you move | PHP 5,000 |
| Two reformer classes and two mat classes, built for surfing | PHP 3,600 |
| The anatomy of breath: a workshop on how your centre holds you on a board | PHP 2,500 |
| A nervous-system workshop with Allegra | PHP 1,200 |
| Journaling each morning, in a journal that is yours to keep | PHP 1,200 |
| Sound healing at golden hour | PHP 1,000 |
| A red light session every day | PHP 2,400 |
| Three massages, one each afternoon | PHP 3,150 |
| A board for all three afternoons | PHP 2,700 |
| Lunch each day and a closing dinner on the beach | PHP 3,000 |
| Coconut and fruit after every surf | PHP 300 |
| Transfers between the beach and the studio each morning | PHP 1,100 |
| A welcome kit: grip socks, a tote and flashcards | PHP 4,000 |
| Your footage, edited, yours to keep | PHP 3,500 |
| A written plan for what to train next | PHP 1,000 |
For this first group | |
| Three check-ins after you go home, at 30, 60 and 90 days, including a review of new waves you send us | PHP 4,500 |
| 20% off a Source package | PHP 2,000 |
Total value: PHP 67,500
Also for this first group: up to 20% off drips, massage and red light during the retreat, and first place in the next group, at this price.
Pilates people who want to surf. Surfers who want to surf better.
If you have never stood up, you will be coached to. If you are already out the back, you will be coached out the back. Everyone surfs with a coach for every two people, and everyone does the same work on land.
Eight places. That is what our reformers and our coaches can hold properly, so that is what we take.
Allegra De Borja leads the Pilates and the nervous-system work. Rachel Mercer leads the program: posture, breath, the journal, the sound. Jay Sueno hosts, surfs with you, and runs the recovery side with our clinic team.
Three guarantees
- The fit guarantee. After you reserve we talk for fifteen minutes. If either of us thinks these are not the right three days for you, your deposit comes back in full.
- The ocean guarantee. If the sea takes a morning, you do not lose it. That morning moves into the studio, and you get a coached two-hour session at Jacking Horse, on us, any time in the next twelve months.
- The progress guarantee. Come to all three days and do the work. If your coach cannot show you a change between day one and day three on the footage, we coach you at no charge until they can.
PHP 47,000
PHP 37,000 for Siargao residents and Source members.
PHP 15,000 holds your place. The balance is due by Friday 23 October.
This is our first group. The next one is PHP 62,000.
If your plans change after our call, your place moves to a later retreat. We do not refund in cash. Lodging is not included. We will send you a short list of places we like.
APPLY FOR A PLACE
Tell us a little about you and your surfing. We reply within a day, and we will hold your place while we talk.
ApplyNo payment now. Eight places.
Core to Surf, seven days. A longer version is coming in 2027, with places to stay through people we trust, for those flying in. If that is the one you want, tell us on the form.
FAQ
Do I need to surf already?
No. If you have never stood up, you will be coached to, and if you are already out the back, you will be coached out the back. Everyone surfs with one coach for every two surfers.
Do I need Pilates experience?
No. The two reformer classes and two mat classes are built for surfing, and everyone does the same work on land. Allegra De Borja leads the Pilates.
What time do we surf?
We set the surf time the night before, by the tide and the wind, so you are in the water when Jacking Horse is at its best and not when a timetable says so. Each day is one block of about six hours built around the surf, then a free afternoon with a massage and a red light session waiting in it.
Where do I stay?
Lodging is not included. We will send you a short list of places we like. You keep your own bed and your own evenings.
What do I bring?
Boards are included, and so are a journal and a welcome kit that are yours to keep. Once your place is held, we send you a short list of what to bring.
Is food included?
Lunch each day and a closing dinner on the beach on Sunday are included. There is no breakfast before the water: coconut and fruit after the surf, then a catered lunch after the studio.
What if the weather turns?
We set each session the night before by the tide and the wind. If the sea takes a morning, you do not lose it. That morning moves into the studio, and you get a coached two-hour session at Jacking Horse, on us, any time in the next twelve months.
Can I come for one day?
No. The three days are one arc. Day one is the baseline, day two goes deeper, and on day three we put day one and day three side by side on the screen.
How do I pay?
You apply first, and there is no payment on the form. We reply within a day, and a person from our team sends you the deposit link by WhatsApp or email. PHP 15,000 holds your place, and the balance is due by Friday 23 October.
Can I get a refund?
After you reserve we talk for fifteen minutes, and if either of us thinks these are not the right three days for you, your deposit comes back in full. If your plans change after our call, your place moves to a later retreat. We do not refund in cash.
Is it safe?
Before day one we ask about your health, any injuries, and how you swim. It keeps you safe and it lets us pair you with the right coach. In the water there is one coach for every two surfers, and the breathwork is done on dry land, in the studio.
Who is this by?
Core to Surf is by Feral Pilates and Vultun. Allegra De Borja leads the Pilates and the nervous-system work, Rachel Mercer leads the program, and Jay Sueno hosts and surfs with you.
- [1] World Surf League, 2026 Rule Book, longboard judging criteria.
- [2] Billabong, "Surfing in Siargao with Josie Prendergast and Ikit Agudo", 23 August 2018.
- [3] CQP, interview with Josie Prendergast, 29 May 2018.
- [4] Farley, Harris and Kilding, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2012.
- [5] Nessler and colleagues, Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 2017. Kim and Lee, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2021.
- [6] Campos and colleagues, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 2016.
- [7] Parsonage and colleagues, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2020.
- [8] Hodges and Richardson, Experimental Brain Research, 1997.
- [9] Paillard and colleagues, European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2011.
- [10] Furness and colleagues, Physical Therapy in Sport, 2016.
- [11] Yilmaz, Kaplan and Batalik, PLoS One, 2025.
CORE TO SURF · Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November 2026 · Eight places
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