Activity: Surf Guiding

The promising forecast for Uluwatu today let us down and we decided to check out Nusa Dua which favors westerly winds. We were greeted by shoulder high offshore conditions!
Fun righthanders run over this reef section and when the tide is low you can get some of the best barrels Bali has to offer. Today there were no barrels to snatch but it was super fun and not too crowded which made this trip to the east coast totally worth it.

The small days are almost over and a new bigger swell is finally on the horizon. Still, it hasn’t yet arrived and so we ventured down to Nyang Nyang where we had plenty of nice looking A-frames on offer. Consistently incoming sets made everyone getting enough rides to practice snaps and cut-backs.

Rainy season has it’s good sides since you don’t always need to wake up early to score clean waves. Very light winds and cloudy weather are ideal for surfing into the late mornings, avoiding the early bird crowd. The conditions late in the afternoon are often glassy and perfect for a sunset session.

Light winds and head high waves this morning, but there was a squall overnight, which disrupted the waves and made conditions challenging. There were some good rides to be had, but quite difficult conditions, and a change from normal clean conditions. We decided to have a quick surf as always good to get wet. The forecast says the wind will change direction, so we will see how it looks after the tide turns, and maybe go back to Uluwatu for 2nd session, or take a trip over to the East coast for some Nusa Dua action.

The swell was bigger today, and the waves more powerful, but the wind was stronger and this made for challenging conditions. The best waves today were on the peak and there was some bombs to be had, but the onshore wind made the wave more difficult to read and also a bit harder to catch. To improve your surfing it is best to surf in a variety of conditions and swell size. After 8 months constant offshore winds it is a bit hard to adjust to onshore waves with a bit of bump, but necessary to get your surfing ability to the next level.

Sunny and new swell this morning, but the wind was onshore at Uluwatu. We did consider going over to the east coast, but the wave quality was quite good at Ulu’s, and not many people at start of the session. 1 long ride at Uluwatu is enough to make a great surf session, and there were a few 300 metre rides peeling to the end of the race track. An advantage of onshore conditions is that the hot local surfers generally do not bother, and today it was mostly intermediate surfers. 1 tip for these conditions: don’t take the first wave in the set as that is the bumpiest. The secondary waves in the set will be cleaner due to the first wave breaking up the chop.

Perfect surfing conditions again here in Bali, with a light offshore wind and blue skies. The swell is quite small today and just 2 people out surfing baby Padang. Just around the corner at Uluwatu, the waves were head high, and perfect for intermediate surfers. Long rides, clean waves not too powerful or fast and enough water on reef, gives intermediate surfers perfect opportunity to improve their surfing. Not having to wear a wetsuit improves the quality of the experience, and also makes surfing easier.

Today is perhaps the smallest we have ever seen Uluwatu. Hardly a ripple which is very unusual. As it was hot and sunny we wanted to get wet anyway, so headed to the nearby break of Nyang Nyang on the south coast. As you can see from the photos, it was a great day for groms. Also some head high waves to be had and clean conditions, and this is a quality wave, so not too bad a day. Swell is forecast to stay small for another week, which is highly unsusal.

Some spots on west coast of Bali today were flat, and even Uluwatu was barely rideable. Fortunately we are strategically located to easily get to all 3 coasts of the Bukit and Nyang Nyang is just 10 minutes from us. The south coast of the Bukit was the place to be to get head high waves, with the occasional overhead set. Very light winds and clean conditions. There is a new road to Nyang Nyang that makes access much easier. As you can see from the drone photo there is also an old plane parked on the cliff by a Russian businessman. This has caused some local controversy.