Greenball’s proper name is Green Bowls, as the first surfers to discover it saw green bowls. It is easier to pronounce Greenball hence the colloquial name has stuck. 387 steps down is rather easy but after a long surf session, it is quite challenging to walk back up to the car park. Always bigger than it looks from the top of the cliff, so be careful to check the conditions are right for you before starting your descent. The bat caves at the bottom are cool and a good place to shelter from the sun.
The wave is a shifty right-hander that some people love, and others hate. The wave offers fun walls conducive for vertical snaps and quick tube rides, ideal for advanced surfers. With a very strong current, this is not the place to lose your board as the nearest land mass is Australia to the south. The wave works on a low to mid tide. There is also a left-hander which is fickle but can be very good.
The break is very exposed to the trade winds and picks up a lot of swell, so it is frequently blown out and/or too big. This is typically a morning surf spot and is a go-to spot in the wet season when the swell is small.
Back in the day, the Bali Cliff Hotel was the place for secret parties with the elevator taking you directly to the bat cave. Sadly the hotel, which is located directly above the surf break, is now rundown and derelict. We are waiting for someone to pick up the mantle and return this place back to the glory days.
