Bali for beginners

[MarcusMD]

Heading to Bali in a couple of weeks - mixed group of good surfers and biscuits all except for me.

When they are at Bingin, where should an old bloke be?

[bc]

Dreamland - 10 min walk from Bingin
-You're not going to hit bottom, and the crowd is a bit more laid back.
(Plenty of beginners tho, so beware loose boards)
wave not as good tho. (fatter than other waves, and peters out into deep water.

Needs a bit of size to work. (Over head high & low tide)
Beware of the shorey.

[Chong]

Impossibles or Belangan

[brenno05]

the bounty

[bc]

the bounty

Depends how old - if over 50, then Paddy's is the go.

[Jimi]

anyone have experience of Bali in January?

[bc]

The main trouble with Bingin is the crowd.
Small take-off zone and frothing pack = trouble.

[brenno05]

anyone have experience of Bali in January?

i was there in feb this year...got some sick waves, stayd over nusa dua side for most of the 2 weeks, mainly surfd the other side of the island but stil got the best ever surf at uluwatu 4-5ft perfection and second best at keramas
theres always waves there so many options...

Depends how old - if over 50, then Paddy's is the go.

saw way too many 50+ at the bounty...get on the jungle juice and tell them brenno sent you haha yeow so loose

[Chong]

Beg to differ on Balangan being mellower than Bingin (if that's what you mean, Chong).

I was thinking more about the crowd factor as it can be easier to get waves at Belangan because of the sections that most people (except pros) fail to make.

Kuta reef is soooo fun. I personally don't like middles that much after copping a couple of beatings there on a building 4-6 foot swell. It's a total cnut of a place to get caught inside because of the lack of a channel.

[Sarge]

Beg to differ on Balangan being mellower than Bingin (if that's what you mean, Chong).

Dreamland... you might enjoy yourself, but I reckon it's pretty crap (I've had plenty of better surfs at Bondi).

Impossibles is great if your shoulders can handle a very looooooong paddle (you can score rides of 800 meters or more! Trick here is to pace yourself).

Bingin itself is a pretty easy wave, with a relatively easy take off into an intense but very makable barrel (even for the inexperienced). DON'T miss out on surfing this wave, despite your reservations. I rate this as one of the most fun waves I've ever surfed. I can still vividly picture several of the most memorable barrels of my life here. Two downsides to this spot... 1) Crowd 2) Extremely shallow and razor sharp corral (1ft deep).

But if all those spots still intimidate you, the spot you must head for is kuta reef. Personally, my favorite of this reef is Middles. It's the least crowded and the most fun. Again, DON'T miss out on surfing this wave. I 100% garuntee you'll enjoy Middles for a fun, intermediate wave.

Have fun!

Very good advice! Listen to the man....
But l must say the crowds at Middles (like the rest of Bali) have gotten way out of control! Full of euro trash who think it might be their last surf ever and aussies who think they are at the superbank!

[Natho]

Why not just get the hell out of Bali itself. It's a hole of a place.

[pridmore]

not meaning to hijack this thread but with so many Indo regulars here I need to know what its like in the wet season ? ( wet I guess ) how bad is the weather and what are the winds doing mostly ???? pretty keen on heading to a few indo spots in November but just suussing weather out before booking it ...cheers

[OddaP]

Beg to differ on Balangan being mellower than Bingin (if that's what you mean, Chong).

Dreamland... you might enjoy yourself, but I reckon it's pretty crap (I've had plenty of better surfs at Bondi).

Impossibles is great if your shoulders can handle a very looooooong paddle (you can score rides of 800 meters or more! Trick here is to pace yourself).

Bingin itself is a pretty easy wave, with a relatively easy take off into an intense but very makable barrel (even for the inexperienced). DON'T miss out on surfing this wave, despite your reservations. I rate this as one of the most fun waves I've ever surfed. I can still vividly picture several of the most memorable barrels of my life here. Two downsides to this spot... 1) Crowd 2) Extremely shallow and razor sharp corral (1ft deep).

But if all those spots still intimidate you, the spot you must head for is kuta reef. Personally, my favorite of this reef is Middles. It's the least crowded and the most fun. Again, DON'T miss out on surfing this wave. I 100% garuntee you'll enjoy Middles for a fun, intermediate wave.

Have fun!

Agree with ya there Salty, although I would describe Bingin as feral. It might be a great wave but the crowd leaves me cold-ok Bali is crowded but Bingin is stupidly so.

I would also add, watch the bottom at Impossibles, very easy to leave ya bark there

[philw]

be honest with yourself.

if you're not sure i wouldn't bother with anywhere on the bukit.

just too crowded and too hard. if you want to catch waves go somewhere easier - the waves will still probably be as good as you've ever had.

canguu is user friendly for all.

serangan can be.

medewi is super easy though sharp on the inside (love to hear from anyone who's had it in a big swell).

there's other beginner friendly spots. have a look around...

[bc]

Trouble is, most days, pretty much everywhere other than the Bukit is blown out by late morning. Sometimes an evening glass off, but not always. So for the early - explore, otherwise get ready to join in the frenzy.

[MarcusMD]

Guys and girls, thanks for all the tips!
As the Gods would have it we were staying right on the cliff between Impossibles and Bingin and able to look down to dreamland!

Dreamland was the place for the old blokes to start and get used to the take off which is shorter and sharper than here. The size upped and downed over the 10 days but was good to fnish the day if the tide as right. Plenty of touros trying to kill themselves made it amusing as well. Pity they are putting in a new resort and trying to make it look like the gold coast.

Impossibles was outstanding and prob our fave as it is a great ride on anything in a decent tide and wave. Yes the veggie peeler was working and a mate managed to ride my new board accross the reef.

Bingin is a nice wedge but probably the most ridden wave i have ever seen. 30 people, 14 hours = lots of rides. Pity about the fact that there are no rules at all and even the Aussies drop in from everywhere. There is a word but we have all used it so no need to say it

All in all a fantastic place, Ulu and Patang pretty awesome

Doc