Month: January 2023

We have been afforded another day of a light west wind here on the west side of the Bukit which allowed our beginner surfers to ride the fun waves at Baby Padang. The swell is coming in at 5.5 ft. at 12 seconds from 204 degrees, and the wind is predicted to remain light and from the west, in the 6 to 8 mph all day. At Baby Padang, our beginner surfers enjoyed chest-high peaks with clean faces despite the light onshore breeze. The crowd was lighter than normal as many surfers would have headed straight for Nusa Dua.

A notable characteristic of the wet season is that the wind is light and variable. When the wind stays light, more spots around the Bukit remain surf-able, especially the southern tip of the island, which is often the first place to be blown out by the wind.

Another beautiful, sunny day here in Bali! We woke up to clear skies and a light west wind, so we packed up the car and some of our surfers set off to Nusa Dua, while other surfers at the camp opted to paddle out at Uluwatu and Padang Padang due to the lighter wind and reduced crowd.

The swell forecast shows 6.5 ft. at 13 seconds, coming from 207 degrees, and a morning low tide of .42 meters at 6:09 AM. The wind continued to blow from the west in the Uluwatu area and from the east in the Nusa Dua area. Despite the onshore texture on both sides of the island, the faces of the waves were clean enough for some fun surfing! The set waves came in at about head high and the lines broke cleanly across the reef.  Our surfers made the most of the unfavorable conditions and had a great day.

Our intermediate surfers made the journey to Geger Left this morning where they found excellent wet-season surfing conditions! Our swell has continued to drop in size today with the forecast reading 4.5 ft. at 13 seconds, coming from 205 degrees. The tide bottomed out this morning at -0.3 meters at 6:00 am, so our surfers left camp after breakfast. At Geger Left, our crew surfed the inside peak, where they enjoyed fun, head-high, left-breaking waves. The wind blew lightly offshore and the sun was shining!

Bali receives swell from a relatively small, but very active, swell window. The swells mostly come from 200 to 210 degrees, however, you do see swells with more south or west in them. Swell direction is important because it affects how the waves break across the reef. We use our understanding of swell directions at the camp to get you into the best waves.

The beginner group headed to Mushroom Rock this morning where they found a beautiful, bright, sunny morning and excellent beginner waves! The swell is coming in at 4.5 ft. at 10 seconds, coming from 198 degrees. The waves came in at shoulder-high on the best of the sets, and the waves broke cleanly across the reef at a slow, mellow pace. The wind has improved signifigantly over the previous few days, blowing calmly offshore against the slow moving peaks. The slow waves gave our surfers the time to process how their movements and weight distribution affect how the surfboard moves through the water.

The wind forecast is looking good over the next few days. The strong west wind is finally easing in strength and persistence, which opens up other parts of the island to surfing, such as the southern tip and the west coast of the island.

Our intermediate surfers paddled-out at Geger Left this morning where they found pumping surf at one of Bali’s most scenic locations. The swell has continued to drop, coming in at 4.0 ft. at 12 seconds, however there were plenty of overhead set waves coming in at the more exposed end of the reef. Our surfers scored fast lines amongst an offshore breeze that has finally begun to ease in its persistence. The surfers worked on improving the speed at which they pop up, and setting their fins into the wave to generate drive.

Geger Left is an excellent wave for an improving surfer looking to gain experience at exposed reefbreaks. At Geger, there are three main peaks which grow in size the farther they are away from the reef. A developing surfer can start at the smallest peak, then work their way up to the larger peaks.

Our intermediate surfers headed back to Blackstone this morning as the wind and rain have returned, leaving the most exposed spots with rough conditions.  The swell is reading 4.5 ft. at 12 seconds from 201 degrees on the forecast, which is a fun amount of swell for intermediate surfers to develop their skills. Blackstone served up fun, but windy, left and right-breaking waves which were held up by the stiff side-shore breeze. The waves were about shoulder high in height, and the faces of the waves were clean enough for all to get some fun rides.

On a clear early morning in Nusa Dua, you can see Nusa Lembongan in the distance as the sun rises just ahead of where you paddle out. Bali is a stunningly beautiful island, and it is something special if you are lucky enough to experience its natural glow.

Our beginner surfers were off to Black Stone again this morning where they enjoyed easier conditions and the sunny weather. The swell has dropped in size to 5 ft. at 13 seconds coming from 202 degrees, and the stiff breeze continued to blow offshore from the west. Our surfers left the camp at 6:30 AM, giving the tide some time to come up after a low of 3:40 AM at -.1 meters, and a high of 1 meter at 9:45 AM. Like yesterday, the steady wind kept the faces of the waves open, which allowed the surfers to enjoy some long rides across the reef!

When the conditions are challenging, nothing beats the encouragement you get from one of our instructors. Their light-hearted nature and charismatic personalities will give you all that extra strength needed to paddle into the waves and back into the line-up for another go.

Our beginner surfers were off to Black Stone this morning where they tested themselves in the challenging but clean conditions. The swell has increased in size overnight to 7 ft. at 14 seconds from 208 degrees, making the more exposed spots for expert surfers only. The wind is still blowing strongly from the west, which is offshore for breaks in the Nusa Dua area. Our surfers persisted and found suitable head-high waves to develop their skills. The offshore wind kept the faces of the waves open for our surfers to glide long, and everyone came home stoked and ready for breakfast!

Bali is well known for its consistent and powerful surf. Unlike most places, Bali receives swell year-round from the Southern Ocean. The size of the swells increases during the dry season, which is from April to October, however the wet season still serves up pumping waves.