Time Travel, How to Experience Hawaii 100 Years Ago – A Bali Surfing Trip
Hawaii too posh or simply too expensive? No worries just take Doc Brown’s Dolorian for a spin back to the past or you could just hop on an airplane: Think Bali, Indonesia. More popular with Australians and Europeans, due to its accessibility, a Bali surfing trip makes a great case for a high impact, affordable visit to one of the worlds best surf destinations – you won’t want to leave.
Bali Surfing
Kuta Beach in Bali
- Kuta Beach – Consistent surf is one of the marks of a great surf towns and whether you are learning to surf or simply want to take your surfing to the next level, consider paying Bali a visit. In Kuta Beach, a tourist hotspot, yet super fun, had surf camps and instructors every 20 meters, literally. Learning to surf may be one of the best bets due to the availability of gear, instructors and wave conditions and price.
- Kuta Beach gets real fun on a high tide and is a perfect place to learn to surf.
- Best time for surfing: the dry season because the wind flows from the southeast to the west and creates the good wave for surfing.
Serangan Bali – East Coast
- Serangan Beach is one of the best places to surf in Bali. You’ll find great and powerful waves so that you can easily take the surf direction from left hander or right hander.
- The beach is increasingly being visited by tourists from all over due to its beautiful panorama and peaceful vibe, so be sure to get there, as it will likely become a tourist destination in the years to come.
- Best time for surfing: during the rainy season because the wind flows from the southwest to the east coast that create the big wave.
More Bali Surfing…
- Just down the Kuta Beach are a few epic reefs reachable by boat. Airport Left, Kuta Reef and Middle Reef. For more advanced skill sets, you paddle out to the boat and it drops you right outside the surf break.
- Padang Padang is about a 45 minute ride from Kuta Beach. Clean green water and reef breaks.
- If your more advanced there are no shortage of places to make you crap your trunks in the line-up and get held under the water for longer than your comfortable with if you want.
- Padang Padang can get pretty hollow at some points and you can get some real good views of the green room.
- Berawa Beach – Lots of turns off the top at Berawa just a bit north.
- The boats out to Middle Reef, Bali. About $50,000 round trip.
- Old Mans is another ideal place to learn to surf. Great longboarding conditions for a relaxing day surfing bali.
- Uluwatu is a world class wave, and will take your skill set to the next level. If you are in town simply to check out the waves the vibe here is super chill with bars and restaurant built into the cliff overlooking the surf break. If your up for a party try Single Fin on Wednesday and Sunday.
After some Bali Surfing – A Taste of Bali
Outside of strong surfing culture the Indonesian cuisine likely has a plate for most folks taste buds. If Bali food is not your thing you can score other favorites (like if you were really craving a Big Mac, they got it even cheaper than where you live) and if sushi is your choice, consider a super fresh sashimi set for $80,000 Rupia, that’s like $6 USD – unfathomably cheap.
- If you want to splurge a bit there are some top shelf items available to, like unreal pork ribs, suckling pig, all sorts of seafoods and lobsters.
Exploring Bali
- I typically like taking a walk about to observe the various street meats and such, and although I did not tackle all that I saw, the street sweet corn can not be missed. The cook takes a lot of pride grilling and spicing these up on the ambers.
“Bingtang Time”
All the best surf and beach destinations have their beers of choice. In Bali the preferred and pretty much monopolized brand is “Bintang.” Now I am no stranger to crushing a few beers, yet “Bintang Time” as it was come to be known is pretty much all the time, during meals, after a surf and best sitting on a bean bag at “La Plancha” in Seminyak with a grilled whole snapper – it may be my last meal request if I make it to death row. By the way, and just so you know, to reduce price erosion due to competition 12oz size Bintangs are set at $25,000 Rupia or $2 USD, that’s a lot of Bintang on a small budget.
Random Fact that could impact your Bali Surfing Trip
- Just like Hawaii, much of the Indonesian islands are volcanic. In fact one was erupting while Live Swell was in town, which actually extended the trip – Being stuck in one of the worlds best surf towns is not such a terrible thing.
We’ve talked Bali surfing, Bali food….So what else is there to do:
- The diving and snorkeling is world class. You can dive the USS Liberty, a sunken WWII ship, that was later dragged ashore and has some real life Dr. Seuss corals and life forms.
- Hike the volcanos and see the sunrises.
- Go river rafting.
- Go fishing.
- Check out the local culture in Ubud.
Get a glimpse of the rice paddies, which are breathtaking.
- Get cheap massages, spring for a couple extra bucks and the quality may increase. Average price between $50,000 and $100,000 Rupia ($4-$8) per hour. Is that for real?
- Tighten up your wardrobe with some custom suits, dresses or leather. I got one custom made suit and a dress shirt for $1,800,000 about $120 dollars – and I think I got ripped off.
- If nightlife if your thing, Kuta Beach will set you up properly, the party and music pumps every night and there are all sorts of venues.
Or get stuck in Kuta and simply chill on the beach and fly a kite and watch the sunsets….they love kites, the trade winds are consistently blowing.