Ability Level: Beginner

Back to the camp favorite of Baby Padang this morning! Our crew was up bright and early to ensure they all got plenty of waves. The swell continued to drop in size to 3ft. at 12 seconds. The wind was blowing lightly onshore, however the wave faces remained clean and the lines were long. The waist to shoulder-high waves from the small swell gave our surfers the time and space to understand how their movements and weight distribution affects the surfboard moving through the water.

Days like today are considered off days here in Bali. As you can see from the photos, the waves were excellent for beginners. Bali is the world’s best surfing destination for all levels of surfers. Days like today are an example of why Bali is just as good for beginners as it is for advanced surfers.

Our beginner group headed back to Baby Padang this morning where they found beginner-friendly rolling waves breaking along the reef. The swell has dropped to 3.5 ft. at 10 seconds, and the the light-onshore breeze remained. The faces of the waves remained clean and our surfers got many fun rides. The rain was falling for most of the session, which helped to smooth the surface of the ocean.

We are currently seeing neap tides as the moon is in its last quarter phase the lunar cycle. With a neap tide, which occurs when the moon appears half-full, the high tides are lower, and the low tides are higher. This is good for surfing in Bali as many spots are best within a moderate tidal range. This means that more breaks will be within their optimal tidal range for more time during the day. Happy surfing!

Our Beginner group headed to Balangan today where they got the last few waves of a fading swell. The forecast read 4 ft. at 11 seconds bringing in shoulder-high set waves that ran down the reef. The wind blew lightly onshore from the southwest however the faces of the waves remained clean. Our group headed out after the 8:00 A.M. morning low tide of .79 meters.

The swell is predicted to continue to fade in size with a new, moderate-sized swell landing on Monday the 19th. The new swell is forecasted to send excellent surf throughout the duration of the Christmas Holiday! The wind is expected to continue to blow from a southerly direction over the next few days, leaving the Uluwatu area onshore. When the new swell arrives on Monday, the wind is expected to shift offshore for our side of the island.

Our beginner group headed back to the camp favorite of Baby Padang. The swell has dropped since yesterday however the waves were still waist-to-shoulder high on the sets, which is a great size for people just learning how to surf. The southwest wind was blowing lightly at the more exposed spots, however it did not affect the waves at Baby Padang. Our surfers got plenty of fun left and right-breaking waves as the sea state and wave faces remained smooth.

The wave at Baby Padang is perfect for beginners. Its slow-rolling place gives the new surfer plenty of time to quickly understand the connection between the surfboard, their body positioning, and the wave. Our instructors always get surfers standing up and riding waves comfortably within a few sessions. After a few sessions, a surfer can begin going left and right, and eventually catch waves on their own.

An onshore breeze coming from the west picked up overnight, leaving most of the Uluwatu area onshore. Our beginner surfers diverted to the protected peaks at Padang Padang in an effort to hide from the wind. Their efforts paid off as the group found easy-breaking waves and clean wave faces. The sea state was left textured by the wind, however the shape of the waves remained excellent for a beginner surfer. The swell dropped to 3.5 ft. at 15 seconds, coming from 213 degrees, providing beginner-friendly waves that put smiles on our surfers faces.

The swell has dropped in height but the period has increased to 15 seconds. The longer period means there is more energy in the swell, which manifests in long lines moving along the reef. Over the next week, we have a mixed forecast with the wind predicted to remain light and variable.

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.