When the wet season starts around November, the East Coast is offshore for the next 5 months
Best time to travel:
January
February
March
December
Sri Lanka
Serangan is the most popular wet season wave for intermediate level surfers. A great right and left reefbreak, just 20 minutes from Kuta, now accessible by car due to the filling in of Benoa Harbour. Works all day, on all tides, on all size swells. Consistent so therefore very crowded. But this means Nusa Dua is not so crowded these days, especially on big days.
Rivermouth beach break with boiling hot black volcanic sand. Best at high tide up to 6 feet, depending upon sandbars. Beware of polluted river water and board breaking shore dump. Gets fairly crowded with Japanese surfers and Sanur locals. Hard to find, so hire a local driver to take you.
Serangan is the most popular wet season wave for intermediate level surfers. A great right and left reefbreak, just 20 minutes from Kuta, now accessible by car due to the filling in of Benoa Harbour. Works all day, on all tides, on all size swells. Consistent so therefore very crowded. But this means Nusa Dua is not so crowded these days, especially on big days.
Hyatt Reef is a very long way from shore (2 Kms) so hire a jekung boat to take you out and wait while you surf. There have been reports of a huge shark that is said to cruise the break often, but that may just be the locals trying to scare us off a good but fickle wave.
A couple of fun right and left reefbreaks in front of the classic Tanjung Sari Hotel and the Sanur beach markets. The right can get awesome at dead low tide with a big swell (wear your reef boots). It offers a very long and fast ride at low tide, but at high tide it tends to break into sections and is therefore rarely ridden by tourist surfers.
These days lots of the local Sanur kids learn to surf here on the small days, so if you paddle out practice your Indonesian on them and make friends.
One of the world’s best right reef breaks when over 8 feet. But unfortunately fickle Sanur only breaks about 20 days a year, because it needs a very big swell from the right direction. Only a few days each year get over 10 feet. Nusa Dua is far more consistent and reliable, so surfers rarely stay at Sanur.
Golden Monkey was a well-kept secret for 20 years, but a new road changed all that. A world-class hollow right, peeling off over a black lava ledge, a bit like Off The Wall. Gets very crowded with hot locals and visiting pros. There are a couple of beach breaks on the walk in to avoid the crowds.
About 1 hour’s drive from Kuta. Black MagicPoint is a very sucky right lava-bottom ledge, on a black sand beach. Needs a big swell. At high tide it only closes out half the time - at low tide you’d be crazy to even try. A tube junkie’s delight. The east coast still has unexplored surf potential, so maybe try driving down any road heading to a beach, or hiring a boat to cruise around the bays. Good luck! And keep it secret.
Rumours of a good right hand point break peeling into the mouth of the harbour. But it needs a giant swell to even break, and you could be driving past excellent 8 foot Sanur or Keramas to get it at possibly 4 feet? However you might also be the only surfer there! About a 3 hour drive from Kuta. The harbour water can get quite polluted with oil and diesel, so bring soap and shampoo to wash off after surfing here.
Nusa Dua is Bali’s most consistent right reef break, rarely under 4 feet. Often the only place breaking for weeks, so it does get crowded (60+ surfers over 3 peaks). Breaks about 1 Km offshore, so hire a jekung ride out and back (around $10) from Surfer’s Beach, just past the Nusa Dua Golf Course and turn left at the Aman Nusa Resort. Look for the Surfer’s Beach sign, or as always it is better to hire a local driver.
This is what you dreamed Bali would be like - living right on the sand of a quiet, palm-fringed beach! Nusa Lembongan’s beaches have no paved roads or cars to detract from the peaceful idyllic lifestyle enjoyed by the local fishermen for centuries. You can really relax and slow down here, beach combing for hours as you wait for the tide to come in and the surf to start pumping.
It's definitely worth the $5 a day for TRAVEL INSURANCE to avoid having to pay $50,000 for an Emergency Flight if you get badly injured on the sharp coral reefs or crazy roads.
The #1 Surf Explorer's Guidebook to Indonesia.
Over 100,000 copies sold ~ "The Indo Surfer's Bible"
New 25th Anniversary Edition has ALL YOU NEED to score big in Indo!
