Activity: Surf Lessons

Our beginner surfers returned to Padang Padang this morning where they found a beautiful, sunny day and a bump in swell size! The swell forecast shows 5 ft. at 12 seconds, however the waves were larger today than the day before. Our surfers enjoyed many attempts at going both left and right on the shoulder-high waves. The easy, rolling waves provided ample oportunities for a developing surfer to begin to gain an understanding of the balance and control of their surfboard as it moves through the water.

Padang Padang is the perfect beginner wave. Its protected, slow-rolling waves move at the perfect pace to allow a surfer to develop their skill set. The surface of the ocean and the wave faces are often cleaner than other breaks as the wave is tucked in behind a headland. Additionally, the current directs you back out to the lineup after a wave!

Our beginner surfers headed to Balangan this morning where they surfed shoulder-high set waves which rolled easily down the beautiful reef. The swell has fallen off in size overnight, with the forecast reading 4.5 ft. at 11 seconds. Our group took their priority at the top of the reef to take the best set waves as they came in. The wind was light in the beginning of the session, and picked up slightly as the session progressed. Despite the wind, the faces of the waves remained clean.

Balangan is an excellent beginner wave on a small swell. The reef picks up more swell than the protected wave at Padang Padang. Additionally, the long stretch of reef separates the crowd as there are several take off zones spread over several hundred meters. Additionally, our surf guides always hold priority in the lineup over other camps, instructors, and individual surfers.

The swell has increased in size overnight, as per the forecast, however our offshore wind and clear skies have left us. Our beginner group headed to Baby Padang this morning where they found excellent, user-friendly, waves rolling across the reef. The session began with a textured sea state however the conditions quickly improved as the morning progressed. Despite the textured surface of the ocean initially, the wave faces were clean and our surfers were able to get many long rides. The surfers used these extended rides to practice trimming the speed of the surfboard to match the speed of the wave.

The wind unexpectedly changed from light offshore to cross-shore overnight. The forecast predicts the wind to come from an offshore direction through Sunday. The conditions are continuing to improve and the surf around the Uluwatu area will be excellent for the second session.

The weather has allowed our beginner group to return to Baby Padang this morning. There was a slight side-shore texture to the water however the faces of the waves remained smooth and glassy enough to provide an excellent beginner surfing experience. The predicted increase in swell size and period has arrived, much to everyones’ relief. The swell came in at 4.5 ft. at 14 seconds during the morning session. Our surfers found easy breaking lefts and rights, which they used to improve their balance and control while riding a wave.

The swell is expected to continue to increase in size till later in the afternoon. Over the next few days, the swell is predicted to decease slightly in size and period. Tomorrow morning, the forecast predicts very light wind, a morning high tide of 1.1 meters at 6:10am, and a fun sized swell!

A storm showed up on our doorstep moments before our beginner group’s morning session, which forced our camp to redirect to Blackstone in Nusa Dua. Our intermediate surfers, who paddled out to Secrets for the morning low tide, managed to get most of their early session in before the storm arrived. Our beginner group still found fun waves, despite the slight onshore conditions. The smaller, protected wave at Blackstone offered up fun, shoulder-high left and right-breaking waves, good enough to put smiles on our surfers’ faces.

This part of the year is marked by weather that changes by the minute. The key to finding good waves in variable conditions is having the ability to think on your feet, and understanding the area you are surfing in. It is important to know how other areas of the Bukit might also be affected by the same off-forcast weather systems.

A tropical squall beat us to the lineup this morning which brought onshore wind and cloudy skies. Our beginner surfers still managed to catch fun rides sliding down the face of the left and right-breaking waves. A beginner can still develop their skills in onshore conditions as they are mostly still developing the ability to ride left and right. Additionally, there is often less people in the lineup, which means more waves for everyone!

This time of the year is marked by unpredictable weather. Offshore squalls can blow in quickly, bringing wind and rain with them, and often blowing out the surfing conditions. Tomorrow, the wind is forecast to remain onshore after peaking in strength this afternoon. We will most likely head to Nusa Dua or the East Coast, depending on how the conditions develop this afternoon and overnight.

Our beginner surfers were back out at Baby Padang this morning! The new swell had not yet arrived however the sun was out and the waves were fun! The ocean served up slow-moving lines, which our beginner group used to develop their fundamental understanding of the art of surfing. The slow pace of the waves at Padang Padang are optimal for a beginner surfer to progress from being pushed into waves by our team, to having the ability to catch a wave using their own positioning knowledge, paddle strength, and control of their surfboard.

A new, larger swell is scheduled to arrive later this afternoon, and just in time for the annual Uluwatu Boardriders Challenge 2022 surfing competition, held at Uluwatu. Both Scotty, an instructor and Uluwatu local ripper, and Andrew, the founder of the camp, will compete against some of Bali’s best surfers.

Our Beginner surfers were off to Baby Padang this morning. The waves were very small today but that was just fine for our developing surfers. The small, slow waves presented our surfers with the opportunity to increase their understanding of how their movement and positioning affects the surfboard travelling across the face of a wave. The weather and ocean conditions remained ideal for the duration of the session.

The forecast shows the wind making its westward shift on Friday, which is onshore for the Uluwatu area. It looks as if the favorable wind will hold long enough to allow the G20 event to come to its conclusion, after which, the Nusa Dua area can be easily accessed again for our surfing pleasure. In addition to the wind shifting, the swell is expected to continue to tail off in size over the next few days.