Month: January 2023

Both the swell and the crowd have slept in this morning, leaving us with small but fun waves in slight-onshore conditions. The swell forecast is reading 3.5 ft. at 11 seconds, coming from 204 degrees, and the wind blew lightly from the west. Our intermediate group beat the crowd to Balangan early this morning before the 9:01 AM low tide at 1.04 meters. The surfers enjoyed the shoulder-high lefts breaking nicely across the reef with clean wave-faces. They worked on poping-up in the correct position so they could glide across the wave’s face without losing speed or control.

At Padang Padang Surf Camp, we are very much focused on surfing. Sunday evening is a party night here in Uluwatu. Our camp was off to bed early as we were in the water while the party-goers were still sleeping off those Bintangs.

The strong wind and rain have finally disappeared, and we woke up to a clear, windless morning here in the Uluwatu area. Our beginner surfers took advantage of the clean conditions and surfed Baby Padang. The swell is coming in at 3.5 ft. at 12, which was enough for shoulder-high set waves. Our surfers worked on cleaning up their pop-up technique in the smaller, slower waves. Developing an efficient pop-up with your body in the correct position is an essential skill upon which to develop your surfing.

For beginner’s surf lessons, you do not need much swell. Ideally, you would have little to no wind in a calm, a protected environment, and a slow-breaking wave. Baby Padang the perfect location for a beginner’s surf lesson is that we have the channel that pulls the surfers back out into the lineup.

The westerly wind and rain have returned to the Uluwatu area, leaving the entire west coast of the island with blown-out conditions. While it may be windy and onshore here at the camp, other parts of the Bukit will be offshore with clean reef-break lines. The swell came in at 3.5 ft. at 13 seconds, from 203 degrees, and the wind was blowing vigorously from the west. Our intermediate group surfed the more exposed wave at Pandawa while our Beginner group paddled out at Blackstone. At Pandawa, the head-high waves broke powerfully over the reef.

Many different parts of Bali all have their own micro-climates, which are more pronounced during the wet season. The Bukit Peninsula is generally more exposed to the wind, while further up the west and east coast, there is often no wind in the morning.

Our intermediate surfers enjoyed a fun session this morning at Black Stone after waiting for the tide to come in before paddling out. The morning had a low tide of .27 meters at 7:34 AM, which may be good for fishing but not for surfing for most spots in the Nusa Dua area. The swell has backed off in size to 4 ft. at 14 seconds from 206 degrees. The wind blew lightly offshore, and heavy wet-season showers drenched the entire Bukit Peninsula. The waves came in at head-high on the larger sets, which broke nicely down the reef.

After a nice run of clean surf in the Uluwatu area, we are back to the Nusa Dua area. The long-range forecast shows the swell smaller than it has been through January. This month has been very consistent, even by Bali’s very high standards.

Our beginner groups enjoyed the easy rolling peaks at Baby Padang this morning! Our swell has picked up in size, coming in at 5 ft. at 15 seconds. The swell direction has shifted more west towards 219 degrees. The wind picked up in strength overnight from a straight west direction until it was cleared by heavy rain. The wave height has jumped to slightly overhead with larger sets. At Baby Padang, the wave faces remained clean despite the light onshore wind and slightly textured sea state. With the larger size, the surfers tested their paddle strength and ability to control the board at a higher speed.

The Uluwatu area works well on a west swell as the swells come directly towards the west and north-west-facing reefs. A longer period and a more westerly swell will provide excellent surfing conditions.

It was a beautiful, sunny morning here in Uluwatu with no wind, a clear sky, and a smooth sea state. The swell is just hanging in there at 2.5 ft. at 10 seconds; however, when the conditions are as perfect as they were this morning, it’s a good idea to grab a longer board and enjoy the small day vibes. Despite the small swell, the lines broke nicely across the reef across the several sections that make up the wave at Uluwatu. As always at Uluwatu, there were many larger, head-high set waves coming in to those who were patient enough to wait in the correct position.

A new, long period swell is forecast to fill in tomorrow with light wind predicted. With the clean conditions forecast to continue, tomorrow should be an excellent day of surfing all around the island!

Our beginner group took advantage of the small swell and went to Balangan this morning, which is just a few minutes down the road from our camp. At Balangan, our surfers found waist to shoulder-high rides with clean, left-breaking beginner-friendly waves. The swell has fallen off a cliff to 2.5 ft. at 12 seconds from 216 degrees, which is about as small as it gets in Bali. Unlike most places, there is always something to surf here, and our surfers made the most of the conditions.

Balangan is the next step in a beginner surfer’s journey once they have become comfortable at Padang Padang. At Balangan, there is no easy channel for the surfers to paddle out through. Once the surfers make it to the lineup, they will find a slightly steeper wave face and waves that run for longer.  Grab a board and get our there!

It looks like the Indian Ocean is finally taking a break after several weeks of a consistent head-high to overhead waves. The forecast is showing 4 ft. at 10 seconds from 211 degrees, which brought in shoulder-high waves with the occasional larger set. The wind blew lightly onshore from the west-northwest; however, the faces of the waves remained clean as the lines ran down the reef. The crowd in the lineup was light, which ensured all had a good time amidst the relaxed, small-day vibes.

On a day like today, with a small swell and light wind, the breaks at the southern end of the Bukit Peninsula, Uluwatu, and Sarangan are your best bets. These breaks pick up more swell and nearly always have a head-high wave. The light wind allows you to surf all coastlines, spreading out the surfers.  Grab a board and let’s go!