Ability Level: Intermediate

We sent our intermediate and advanced surfers to the world-famous Uluwatu this morning. As you can see from the photos, our surfers found some nice, shredable walls with almost no wind! Some of our surfers found waves running all the way to the end of the reef. Days like these, with crystal clear water and waves, are always “better than it looks,” despite the swell tailing off.

When you have a smaller forecast, Uluwatu is always a great option as it is the most exposed break on the western coast of Bukit. The swell hits Uluwatu directly, which gives greater size and power to the wave. The surf camp’s favourite section of the wave is the racetrack. This section starts directly in front of the paddle out of the cave, and can run all the way to the big rock at the end of the reef.

Wonderful conditions this morning out at Balangan! With light winds, a calm sea state, and a fun swell, our guests were getting plenty of excellent waves! As you can see, there were many opportunities to generate speed and hit the lip or complete a carve on the open face.

Balangan is a very consistent wave which picks up swell from all directions. While it is possible to get the ride of your life here, most waves break too fast for beginner surfers. The wave is best on bigger days but suitable for intermediate surfers on medium days and novices when small enough. The beach on Balangan is particularily beautiful as well. Additionally, Balangan has seen less development than other areas with many warungs still on the beach. Many of these classic Balinese beach warungs have been removed to make way for bigger developments in many parts of the island that attract tourists.

It was a beautiful day today at Baby Padang. Bali’s conditions have returned and our surfers were met at the beach with a calmer swell, lined up waves, and light offshore winds. As you can see from the photos, our surfers had an excellent day!

Days like these are perfect for improving surfers. Baby Padang is generally an excellent place for a beginner to learn how to catch waves on their own and develop the balance and control to begin going left and right. Our instructors excel at developing a surfer’s skills from being pushed into a wave to having the ability to go left and right on their own.

(more…)

The Indian Ocean was full of life this morning but that does not slow our crew down. There was a large swell and a hint of west wind this morning but our surf manager Richie got the job done and got our intermediate group into fun waves at a lesser-known break called Honeymoon. Some of our guests even mustered up the courage to give the rock jump a go!

With a large swell running, there are fewer options in general but we can always find fun waves somewhere. As the dry season winds down, the consistent trade winds die off and on some days, the onshore winds creep in. When the wind does turn around, and with a friendlier swell, we often head to the Nusa Dua area. However, the upcoming week looks about as good as it gets for our lucky guests!

We had a great session at Balangan this morning. The wind was calm and the conditions were pretty clean. The hip-high waves were perfect for our intermediate surfers to practice take-off and button turns. The lack of other people in the line-up was the cherry on top.

Surfing in Bali in the rainy season has its advantages, also on the west side of the island. Often, when it rains, the wind stops and we have glassy surf conditions. This can happen randomly during the day and when you time it right you can have a fun session without having to share the waves with many others. You will be surprised how many good sessions you can get during this time of the year.

Due to the westerly wind today, we decided to visit the east coast. In Nusa Dua the wind conditions were off-shore and the waves were clean. The incoming sets were shoulder-high and fun to ride for our intermediate group. Besides the good waves, the beach is beautiful to look at.

There is a new swell coming tomorrow and we are looking forward to having bigger waves again. With the onshore wind on the west coast, Nusa Dua will be our preference for this week. It is great to be able to explore different waves again. Bali has so many more waves to offer and every day you can find perfect waves somewhere. With our local knowledge and experience, finding these waves is no problem at all.

Practice and dedication are big parts of learning how to surf. Only when putting enough time and effort in, can someone become good at anything. Surfing is no exception.

Getting up on the board and riding along the waves can be learned during the first few lessons, but there is much more to discover and learn. Not only about surfing itself but also about the waves and ocean. It is all connected and important to know to become a good surfer. Here at Padang Padang Surf Camp, if you are a beginner, you get the essential knowledge so you will be able to surf on your own at some point. Much is to be learned to get to this point and with us, you can be sure to get there as quickly as possible.