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| ulu watu |
continued from my previous post. this is some more recommended place to surf in bali
Nusa Lembongan
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| nusa lembongan |
In the Nusa Penida group, this
island is separated from the southeast coast of Bali by the Badung Strait. The
strait is very deep and generates huge swells that break over the reefs off the
northwest coast of Lembongan. Shipwreck, clearly visible from the beach, is the
most popular break, a longish right that gets a good barrel at mid tide with a
5ft swell. A bit to the south, Lacerations is a very fast, hollow right
breaking over a very shallow reef – hence the name. Still further south is a
smaller, more user friendly left-hander called Playground. Remember that
Lembongan is best with an easterly wind, as are Kuta and Ulu Watu, so it’s
dry-season surfing.
Padang Padang
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| padang padang |
Just Padang for short, this super
shallow, left-hand reef break is just north of Ulu Watu towards Kuta. Again,
check this place carefully before venturing out. It’s a very demanding break
that only works over about 6ft from mid- to high tide – it’s a great place to
watch from the cliff top. If you can’t surf tubes, backhand or forehand, don’t
go out: Padang is a tube. After a ledges take-off, you power along the bottom
before pulling up into the barrel. So far so good, now for the tricky part. The
last section turns inside out like a washing machine on fast-forward. You have
to drive high through this section, all the time while in the tube. Don’t worry
if you fail to negotiate this trap, plenty of other surfers have been caught
too. After this, the wave fills up and you flick off. Not a wave for the
faint-hearted and definitely not a wave to surf when there’s a crowd.
Sanur
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| sanur |
Sounds exciting! Sanur Reef has a
hollow wave with excellent barrels. It’s fickle, and doesn’t even start till
you get a 6ft swell, but anything over 8ft material. There are other reefs
further offshore and most of them are surfable. Hyatt Reef, over 2km from
shore, has a shifty right peak that can give a great ride at full tide. Closer
in, opposite the Sanur Beach Market, Tanjung Sari gives long left rides at low
tide with a big swell, while Tanjung Right can be a very speedy wall on a big
swell. The classic right is off the Grand Bali Beach Hotel.
Serangan
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| serangan |
The abortive development at Pulau
Serangan or Turtle Island entailed huge earthworks at the southern and eastern
sides of the island, and this has made the surf here much more consistent,
though the landfill looks like a disaster. The causeway has made the island
much more accessible, and several warung face the water, where waves break
right and left in anything over a 3ft swell.
Ulu Watu
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| ulu watu |
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| ulu watu |
When Kuta Reef is 5ft to 6ft, Ulu
Watu, the most famous surfing break on Bali, will be 6ft to 8ft with bigger
sets. Kuta and Legian sit on a huge bay – Ulu Watu is way out on the southern
extremity of the bay, and consequently picks up more swell than Kuta. It’s
about a half-hour journey from downtown Kuta by private transport. Teluk Ulu
Watu or Ulu Watu Bay is a great setup for surfers – local boys will wax your
board, get drinks for you and carry the board down into the cave, which is the
usual access to the wave. There are warung and nearby there are cheap basic
accommodation. Ulu Watu has about seven different breaks. The Corner is
straight in front of you to the right. It’s a fast-breaking, hollow left that
holds about 6ft. The reef shelf under this break is extremely shallow, so try
to avoid falling headfirst. At high tide, the Peak starts to work. This is good
from 5ft to 8ft, with bigger waves occasionally right on the Peak itself. You
can take off from this inside part or further down the line. It’s a great wave.
At low tide, if the swell isn’t huge, go further south to the Racetrack, which
is a whole series of bowls. At low tide when the swell is bigger, Outside
Corner starts operating; fur their out from the Racetrack. This is a tremendous
break and on a good day you can surf one wave for hundreds of maters. The wall
here on a 10ft wave jacks up with a big drop and bottom turn, then the bowl
section. After this it becomes a big workable face. You can usually get tubed
only in the first section. When surfing this break you need a board with
length, otherwise you won’t be getting down the face of any of the amazing
waves. Another left runs off the cliff that forms the southern flank of the
bay. It breaks outside this in bigger swells, and once it’s 7ft, a left-hander
pitches right out in front of a temple on the southern extremity. Out behind
the Peak, when it’s big, is a bombora or submerged reef appropriately called
the Bommie. This is another big left-hander and it doesn’t start operating
until the swell is about 10ft. On a normal 5ft to 8ft day there are also breaks
south of the Peak. One is a very fast left, and is also very hollow, usually
only ridden by goofy-footers, due to its speed. Observe where other surfers
paddle out and follow them. If you are in doubt, ask someone. It is better
having some knowledge than none at all. Climb down into the cave and paddle out
from there. When the swell is bigger you will be swept to your right. Don’t
panic, it is an easy matter to paddle around the white water from down along
the cliff. Coming back in you have to aim for the cave. When the swell is
bigger, come from the southern side of the cave as the current runs to the
north. If you miss the cave, paddle out again and repeat the procedure.
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