"Sometimes life can be so stressful...so I'll go to the ocean and just think to myself, 'Let me just leave all my problems in the water. I'll just wash it all away."
Twenty-nine year old Newcastle resident Jamie Sy has always found peace in nature. While she grew up between Tondo and Binondo, she always looked forward to travelling to her dad's quiet hometown of Daet, Camarines Norte.
"I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time in nature because of my dad. The city can be too hectic and crowded. It could be too overstimulating for me."
A love for the water
When Sy moved to Australia, it only furthered her love for being outdoors.
"Mum and dad were separated when I was young. My mum made a new life in Australia and I moved to be with her when I was 16.
I spent most of my life in the city and even when I spent a lot of time in the beaches of Daet, I didn't feel confident in the water. When I moved here, that changed.Jamie Sy, Owner of Hiwaga Ko
"My stepfather has a deep love for the water and he used to travel to the Philippines and scuba dive. He's Australian, but he helped me appreciate the waters of the Philippines."
Influenced by her stepfather, Sy trained to become a scuba diver herself, diving in open waters in Australia, Thailand and the Philippines.
From scuba diving, Sy's interest furthered to another water sport after a "funny incident at work".
The sport that humbled me
"I was working at an accounting firm at the time. I remember my old boss coming into the office with her hair still really wet. She had a few bruises but still had a big smile on her face. I was like, 'Huh, what sport is she playing?' She said she was taking kitesurfing lessons," Sy shared.
Combining aspects of surfing and paragliding, kitesurfing, kiteboarding or simply kiting is a sport that utilises wind power with a large kite to pull a rider across the surface of the water.
"So yeah, I got interested and started taking lessons with friends. I got hooked!"
Sy admitted that her first try "humbled" her.
The first spot I went to was in Lennox Head in the North Coast. It wasn't the most beginner-friendly. It reminded me that I'm just not going to be great at everything straight away and that that would be a lot of fun!Jamie Sy, Owner of Hiwaga Ko
Sy shared that kitesurfing has been one of her biggest teachers — not just in terms of the physicalities of the sport, but in terms of how she handles different areas of her life.
"Kitesurfing really does make you realise what you have control over and what you don't. Like, I don't have control over the wind or the rain, but I have control over my kite and how I move my body. That thinking has helped me in my own life."
The magic
In her own life, Sy has come to realise her purpose as a daughter of the Philippines.
"Australia is beautiful; but maybe two years into moving here, I began yearning for the beauty of the Philippines.
I kept on hearing people talk about travelling to Southeast Asia, but it was always Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Not a lot of people knew of the Philippines though we have such a beautiful country.Jamie Sy, Owner of Hiwaga Ko
Believing that there are lesser-known beaches in the Philippines that are on par with some of the most renowned in the world, Sy decided to express her love for kitesurfing and the Philippines through her company, Hiwaga Ko [translated to 'My Magic'].
Hiwaga Ko is a retreat company that sees Sy bringing Australians to the Philippines to learn kitesurfing, while helping them discover the beauty of the islands.
"I want people to reconnect to their own magic as well, to be able to spend time in nature, putting themselves out of their comfort zone with this new sport or if they already know the sport, to see how they can progress forward.
The retreats are about shifting our mindsets from judging ourselves and putting ourselves down to going towards a place of curiosity.Jamie Sy, Owner of Hiwaga Ko
Organising retreats isn't an easy feat, but Sy makes it a point to collaborate with local companies and instructors.
We've only done one place at the moment — a secluded area in Palawan where the water's pristine and there aren't too many tourists.Jamie Sy, Owner of Hiwaga Ko
"My friend has connections on the ground and we work closely together on creating these retreats, but things don't always go according to plan. It's the essence of the work and the sport — you just have to adjust and adapt."
Cleaning up the beaches
Down the track, Sy said she wants to be able to use her profits to help clean the beaches in the country.
"I remember the place where my dad grew up...there's this beach he used to take me to. It used to be a kiting destination and they had competitions there; but because of COVID, the kiting schools had closed down and the beach had a lot of rubbish."
Sy does her part in cleaning whatever rubbish she finds on the beach and hopes to be able to further her efforts in promoting the Philippines as a go-to ecotourism spot.
"I want to be able to help more communities and promote ecotourism in terms of snorkelling, paddleboard and other water sports.
"I never want to take business from Filipinos, so I want to be able to collaborate with local businesses and trainers.
"The Philippines is such a magical, beautiful country and people are super welcoming and friendly. Those are the things I want to highlight."
