My Top 5 Wave Spots In Bali

My Top 5 wave spots in Bali

5 – Niko

Niko is a really good wave that offers some great barrels. Niko is a right-hander wave and has some gnarly barrels. Niko is mainly surfable from October to mid March because of the seasons and their winds. Niko is an awesome wave and is pretty rip-able but when it’s big it gets really heavy and can hold you under water for quite some time. But the price is worth the pay. At low tide it can get a bit risky but the wave becomes even better at a lower tide.

Problems with the wave:

The wave is great but the problem is its extremely long waiting period. It takes about six months before the wave can get into its right conditions.

4 – DreamLand

Dreamland is an awesome wave because it offers so many wave spots to surf at. There are two main breaks further out to sea. There is a left and a right. Both these waves are separated by a channel that they break into. Dreamland is a really mellow wave and whether the tide is low or high the water is always deep. The Wave needs a mid or low tide for it to work properly. On huge swells the wave becomes one and becomes a huge long left. DreamLand also has many little waves that break on the shore. These waves are much more fun for kids or beginner surfers who aren’t that experienced.

Problems with the wave:

The wave as good as it sounds is actually not very good for doing snaps and carves because the wave is extremely fat and you have so much speed on the wave. But if you’re good enough you could pull some serious air. Another problem is the beach. Until recently the beach was over taken by Jakarta. Now there are too many tour busses and tourists coming in to see the beach that it has become NightmareLand!

3 – Bingin

Bingin is a great surf spot that offers a wide variety of maneuvers and barrel riding tricks. This wave is a left-hander. Bingin requires a medium swell for it to be fun because when its small it doesn’t break and when it’s too big the wave will just max out and close out. But when bingin is good it’s the place to be. Bingin offers a fun barrel but when its not big enough it’s a great wave to rip up and pull some airs.

Problems with the wave:

Although Bingin is a great wave when the tide is low and the swell is big the water sucks up at the beginning of the wave and the end. The end of the wave is called stop signs because it gets deadly shallow and closes out there. Another problem is the entire crowd. It has a lot of people there but not as much as other spots. It can sometimes become a nuisance.

2 – Uluwatu

Uluwatu is an amazing wave and offers three different wave spots to choose from. There is Temples, Peak and Race-Tracks. I mainly surf down at racetracks because of its barrel but all other spots are really good as well. Uluwatu is one of the reasons why most surfers come to Bali. On all size swells uluwatu can be a really good wave whether it’s 2 foot or 10 foot. Uluwatu is a left-hander wave. When big you’ll need a gun to ride some of the waves that come through at Uluwatu.

Problems with the wave:

The main problem for everyone at Ulu’s is the crowd in the water. There are about 100 people in the water all together every day and it takes about 15 minutes or even 30 minutes for someone to get a wave. There’s a lot of hassling and people dropping in on waves. Another problem there are the jelly fish. When spawning season comes around (summer) there are hundreds and hundreds of stinging jellyfish in the water. They all come to Uluwatu’s reef to spawn and grow up there till the wind switches and blows them back out to sea. The third problem about this wave is the extremely strong current in front of the cave entrance. You need to plan your entry before going in or else you might get swept over to the next beach and coming back is hell of a paddle.

1 – Padang Padang

Padang in my opinion is a world-class wave. Hundreds of surfers come to this spot every year just to get a taste of its deadly beauty. Padang Padang is a left-hander wave and it is one of the greatest barrel waves ever. Every year Ripcurl hosts a competition at this spot. All of the greatest surfers from around the world gather to partake in this amazing barrel riding competition, the Ripcurl Padang Padang Cup.

Problems with the wave:

Although the wave is the greatest here in Bali it does require a bigger swell for it to work properly. It can take weeks or months for Padang to get into high gear. Another factor is its deadly low tides. When Padang gets to tides like 0.3 or 0.1’s it can get very dangerous at the spot especially on bigger swells. I hang out on the beach allot and I’ve seen people come in with cracked skulls and backs skinned to the bone. But when it’s low tide the wave does look allot better than it would be at high tide. Hence its dangerous beauty.