We had another great session today. Conditions were similar to yesterday but Legian was closing out a bit since the tide was low when we went out. After checking the breaks up and down the beach, we decided to start at Kuta Poppies II and then move up the beach to Halfway. Both breaks had excellent waist to chest high waves. Clearly, the Surfline forecast for Kuta is just a general gauge of conditions since at any given time, there can be ankle high waves near the beach to double OH sets on the outside, making it even harder than usual to predict the actual conditions.
Max and I got numerous rides again today without the size of yesterday but just as fun. I also got several lefts and a couple of rights which was such a thrill. The waves here are fast and powerful and that’s really amped up my skills and timing. Plus, this 7′ board is awesome. I’m not sure what make it is since it just has an Indonesian symbol on it, but I’ll find out what it is from Frank at Pro Surf before I go. The Indo Surf guide we got mentions the differences in boards for the type of surf here. A lot of the expert surfers use mini guns for bigger waves. My Uncle Jimmy has lived in Bali for the last 15 years or so and he uses a 7′ Mini Mal board which I think has a similar shape to this one. The 7′ board I’m using has been great for the conditions here in Kuta/Legian. It’s almost brand new with a 2+1 fin setup and only costs $11 USD a day! Amazing. Flying to Bali from the US is expensive, but once you’re here, food and lodging is fairly cheap. Access to the beach is easy and there are lots of friendly vendors on the beach with drinks, fruit and beach chairs, making it possible to just go up and down the beach all day surfing different breaks. As Max said in his post last night, Indo is certainly one of the best places in the world to surf. There are literally surf breaks for any level of surfer, the vibe in the water is super friendly, plus, the 80 degree water makes it even more of a paradise.
#83 / 10:50 am
[6-7 ft Light east-southeast winds with a slight chop. Moderate short period wind waves from the southeast.]