Indonesia is truly a surfer’s paradise. We’ve been tempted by surf the last five days since we’ve been in Bali while staying south in Uluwatu for my brother’s wedding. Every morning we could see expert surfers catching perfect lefts and super long sections with OH to DOH barrels. While I’ve seen photos of this world-renowned area, seeing the breaks in person from the cliff was mind-blowing. My goal is to get good enough one day to return and surf Ulu, Padang and the other nearby reef breaks along the south shore.
After family and friends left yesterday morning, Max and I made our way north to the Kuta area to stay in Legian Beach, which has been called the world’s most powerful beach break. It has both beginner and expert breaks, all extending along a 5 kilometer stretch of beach with easy access right from the hotel and road that runs along Kuta. Today we finally had a chance to surf. We rented some boards on the beach and I decided to try a 7′ board, with a fairly narrow body, round nose and tail. Turned out to be a great board, with lots of maneuverability. I actually loved the feel of the narrow body, since my 7’3 Super fish feels a bit wide sometimes. We stayed a bit on the inside to get a feel for the break and I got ride after ride – counting 15 in an hour. So stoked!
The water is incredibly warm at 80 degrees and the Indian Ocean seems saltier than the Pacific. The waves here in Indonesia are much more powerful than any NorCal wave or Hawaii wave I’ve surfed. Even at a close distance to the beach, shortboarders had enough power to do 360s and turns and even catch some air. We got a local magazine that has lots of tips and info about surfing Indo and they mentioned how waves here are much more powerful. I believe it! Can’t wait to head out again tomorrow. Frank at the surf shop mentioned there’s a SW swell coming through and we’re going to head out around 1pm for high tide.
#81 / 3:45 pm
[4-6 ft Light east-southeast winds with a slight chop. Small long period swell from the southwest.]