Padang Padang Surf Camp is near the legendary Uluwatu on the Bukit Peninsula. Photo / Padang Padang Surf Camp
Bali, famous for its world-class surf spots, is perhaps the best place on the planet to learn to surf, writes Mark Eveleigh.
Some of Bali’s reefs still carry the ring of legend, even 50 years after they were first surfed. Other, more forgiving beach breaks have exploded onto the radars of travelling surfers within the past few years.
Overcrowded line-ups are a common gripe, but anyone who believes it’s impossible to find an empty wave here ought to bear in mind that the Indonesian archipelago has about 17,000 islands. Even in Bali, just a little determination can get you a long way off the beaten track. East Bali has its share of uncrowded spots, while West Bali has many miles of beach breaks that rarely see a single surfer.
Whether you want to take your first foamy whitewater baby-steps, hone your skills on Balinese barrels, or even fly above the waves on a foil-board, this list of some of the island’s best surf camps and surf schools will help you find your happy place in the line-up.
The Bukit Peninsula, home to legendary Uluwatu, has played a central part in surf lore. The instructors at Padang Padang Surf Camp do their best to prove that the hallowed waves of the Bukit (“hill” in Indonesian) needn’t only be the playground of hotshot pros. The instructors train surfers of all levels (right up to surf guiding for advanced surfers), but their Beginner Surf Lessons might well be the best place possible to catch the waves that will change your life.
The Bukit, with its endless range of breaks, can be daunting even for semi-pros, but the crew at Padang Padang Surf Camp know the local breaks intimately. Locations for beginner classes change depending on conditions, but they tend to opt for slow-rolling Padang Padang Rights or beginner-friendly breaks like the aptly named Dreamland or beautiful Balangan. The tree-shaded camp, set 750m back from Padang Padang Beach, offers all the facilities you could need for a blissful surfing holiday (with appealing common areas and a variety of rooms to suit most budgets).
balisurfingcamp.com
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay has partnered with luxury surf company Tropicsurf since 2014. In an area that often sees uncrowded waves, the resort’s private boat can shuttle surfers out to relatively unknown southern sections of Airport Reef. The break, predominantly right-hand (with more crowded lefthanders to the north), is suited to all levels.
Tropicsurf’s instructors and quiver of boards offer something for everyone from beginners to seasoned semi-pros. The super-luxurious Four Seasons Resort faces west into Jimbaran Bay but is conveniently located so that beaches and reefs attracting easterly swells are also less than 10km away. Naturally, this is a high-end luxury experience, but your money buys optimal waves almost any day of the year, thanks to the staff’s local knowledge.
Rip Curl, one of surfing’s pioneering brands, has set new benchmarks for Bali’s surf schools by offering not just surf classes but also beginner classes in kite-surfing, wind-winging and, now, foiling. A foil board is fitted with a sort of hydrofoil “wing” below water level so that the board rises clear of the waves, giving a sensation that’s the closest thing to flying on a surfboard.
Rip Curl’s main surf camp is at Mamaka by Ovolo (on Kuta Beach), and a complimentary shuttle is provided to bring guests to the (uncrowded) Sanur break. Foiling sounds challenging but, at its base on Sanur Beach (Southeast Bali), Rip Curl has so much faith in its teaching skills that it guarantees “you’re foiling by the end of your first session, or your second foiling session is absolutely free”.
ripcurlschoolofsurf.com
Keramas, on Bali’s southeastern coast, is one of the few places in the world where you can surf at night. A location so close to the equator means Bali misses out on long summer evenings, so Hotel Komune has installed lights to illuminate the waves, providing a unique night-surfing experience. These sessions require booking and offer an exclusively uncrowded line-up (only three to six people are allowed at a time) for surfers from an intermediate level upwards.
This is the place to stay if you like the idea of a surf camp but prefer something with more panache. Komune is a 5-star resort after all, with all the associated frills, plus one of the world’s most renowned waves crashing just beyond your balcony and accessible even into the long hours of tropical darkness.
komuneresorts.com
As the guys at Mojo Surf will tell you, “life’s better on a surfboard”. If you’re just at the level where you’re itching to find out how good it can be, then Canggu seems to be the place to head for.
If you’re on a tight budget, there are many homestays in the area, and you can rent boards of all sizes on the beach from about R50,000 an hour ($5), while surf lessons are available from about R350,000 ($35). Mojo Surf Camp is just a 10-minute walk from famous Batu Bolong Beach – perhaps the cruisiest (and most popular) longboarding wave on the island – and packages range from a single class to intensive two-week Living the Dream Surf Development Courses.
A few days honing your skills in Canggu might well give you the urge to explore farther afield, and Mojo also offers island-hopping surf packages to Nusa Lembongan, Java and even the far-off Mentawais (Sumatra). After all, anyone who complains about crowded surf spots ought to remember that there are 17,000 other islands in the Indonesian archipelago, and most of them have waves.
mojosurf.com