Beginner Surfing in Bali

Our surfers headed to the Nusa Dua area this morning as the wind is still blowing from the west throughout the island. There is enough swell in the water for our beginner surfers to ride the inside waves at Mushroom Rock while the intermediates were off to Sri Lanka. At Mushroom Rock, the beginner surfers enjoyed waist to head-high waves breaking on the inside of the surf break. The swell came in at 3.5 ft. at 16 seconds from 200 degrees, and the wind blew offshore. The beginners focused on getting to their feet with balance and control of the surfboard, and conserving energy when larger waves came through.
Mushroom rock is a fun wet season wave for beginner surfers when there is too much swell for Black Stone. The inside provides a safe venue for developing surfers to begin their surfing journeys.

The entire Bukit woke up to wind and rain this morning after a weather system moved in overnight. The Nusa Dua area is your best bet on days like today, so our surfers were off to Blackstone. At Blackstone, our surfers braved a stiff breeze from the southeast and a bump in the swell. The waves were head high+ from a swell of 4 ft. at 16 seconds from 204 degrees. The wind blew persistently side-onshore which made for challenging conditions. The surfers enjoyed the longer walls and used their experience to trim down the line and attempt top turns on open sections.

The long-range forecast shows that the wind will continue to blow from the west for the next ten days. After which, conditions will begin to clean up for our side of the island, and we will have made it through most of the seasonal west wind. Get out there!

It was a beautiful day today at Padang Padang! The sun was shining and the waves were clean! Our surfers stuck to the inside of the break and enjoyed the waist-high waves brought in by a swell of 3.5 ft. at 10 seconds, coming from 220 degrees. There was no wind however a slight texture was present. These are great beginner surfing conditions and the reason people come to Bali. The beginners worked on improving their pop-up technique and gaining control of the surfboard. On a small and slow day like today, a beginner can quickly be up and riding with control on their first lesson, something that could take several sessions in other parts of the world.

As we progress through the wet season, we will see more good days with no wind. The rest of February, March, and April should be good. Let’s go!

Our break in the weather has finally arrived, so our intermediate surfers seized upon the opportunity to surf Toro-Toro while our beginners were off to Padang Padang. The swell came in at 4.5 ft. at 11 seconds from 208 degrees, which was good for waist-to-shoulder-high waves with the occasional larger set. The wind blew lightly onshore, and the sea state was left textured from the previous days’ wind. The faces of the waves were clean enough for fun beginner surfing, and all had memorable rides.

While the wind can be relied upon to blow from the west during the wet season, which is onshore for the area, there are still plenty of good days. We are always on top of the conditions here at the camp and we make the most of days like today.

We have pumping surf this morning all across the island! The 5ft. at 16 seconds swell filled in with the standout spots seeing double overhead surf. Our intermediate group took advantage of the light wind and surfed very good Toro-Toro while our beginner group paddled out at Padang Padang. At Padang Padang, our surfers enjoyed pulsing head-high waves with the occasional larger set. The wind blew slightly from the west however the faces of the waves remained clean. The beginner surfers challenged themselves while mostly staying on the inside of the surf break.

It has been a few weeks since we enjoyed a solid long-period swell. While there have been plenty of good days, it is hard to top a day of clean, long-period swell surf in Bali. Our swell will only be here for one day, so get out there before it’s gone!

Our surfers were up bright and early this morning for their sessions. The beginners set off to Baby Padang while the intermediates surfed at Geger Left. The west wind is still blowing; however, the period has increased in the swell, which makes for better surfing conditions than yesterday. The swell is reading 4.5 ft. At 15 seconds on the forecast, which brought in shoulder to head-high set waves at Baby Padang. The west wind chopped up the sea state; however, the faces of the waves remained clean enough for fun beginner surfing.

Tomorrow is looking like a great day of surfing for the Uluwatu area. The wind is predicted to be lighter and from the northeast, which is a more favorable direction for our side of the island. The swell is predicted to increase in size slightly. Let’s hope the conditions arrive as forecasted. See you out there!

Our beginner group headed to Black Stone today. The swell has dropped to a wind swell, coming in at 4.5 ft. at 7 seconds. The waves were shoulder high on the sets, and the wind blew offshore from the west. The shorter-period wind swell waves presented a challenge to the surfers as wind swell waves come in with less energy and steeper faces. This means that you must be closer to the where the energy is most focused on the wave, and you have less time to pop-up with the steeper wave face. Our surfers made the most of the conditions and tested their pop-up technique.

A new swell is forecast to come Thursday and Friday, which should provide great surfing for the Nusa Dua area. On Saturday, the west wind is predicted to pick up in strength; however, it will be offshore at Blackstone and Geger.

Our west wind has shifted to the south this morning, leaving the entire Bukit with onshore or side-shore conditions. You can generally count on the conditions to always be clean somewhere on the island. The wind swell we are left with has continued to fade, showing 3 ft. at 10 seconds from 203 degrees. Our beginner surfers surfed the protected waves at Baby Padang, where they found shoulder-high peelers with the occasional larger set wave.

Our surfers used the small conditions to focus on the fundaments of surfing. This includes how to correctly position your body when paddling and where to correctly place your feet when standing up. With a smaller wave, the process of getting to your feet is slower, which allows the surfers to more efficiently process how their body movements affect the flow of the surfboard through the water.