Bali — five days, a new board, and the Rip Curl Cup
The channel at the Rip Curl Cup
Bali holds a special place in my heart. I got married there. I've had some of the best surfs of my life there. And I've watched it change almost beyond recognition over twenty years. This is not a post about how Bali isn't what it used to be. It's about why it still matters.
I first went to Bali in 2001 with a close friend. We climbed down to Uluwatu, paddled out through the cave, and surfed some of the best waves I have ever had in my life. Outside Corner. The kind of surf that stays with you for decades and makes you understand immediately why people have been coming to this island for so long.
I got married here in 2010. Bali is woven into my life in a way that goes beyond surf trips.
So when people tell me Bali isn't what it used to be, I understand what they mean — but I've never quite agreed with the conclusion. Yes, the traffic is full on. Yes, the breaks are busy. Yes, getting from one end of the island to the other can take far longer than any map would suggest. These things are all true. But Bali has become a victim of its own success, and it's hard to blame it for that.
What Bali still is
The people are as warm and genuinely friendly as they have ever been. The countryside is as beautiful. The food is extraordinary. The surf, if you're willing to get off the beaten track and think outside the box, can still be found quieter than you'd expect. And the Uluwatu end of the island — where I always stay - has everything you need within easy reach: great places to eat, surf shops, proper waves, and great beaches.
The view from Padang towards Bingin
I no longer travel to Bali with the intention of getting waves. Waves I do get are a bonus. What I go for is the place itself — the chance to catch up with old friends, to sit at Padang and watch perfect waves being ridden by some of the best surfers in the world, to remember why I fell in love with this island in the first place.
Part of my reduced enthusiasm for competing in the lineups is simply a me problem — I have no desire to battle it out with the hyper fit youngsters who dominate the better breaks these days. I've made my peace with that. I pick my moments, surf the less fashionable options, and enjoy what I get. It's a more honest relationship with the place than pretending it's still 2001.
Ben, on the other hand, has been to Bali multiple times in his short life and his enthusiasm for it hasn't dimmed once. If you want proof that Bali still has genuine relevance for young surfers, watch a teenager light up the moment the island comes into view. The older generation's ambivalence says more about us than it does about Bali.
Checking the surf at the lookout on his first trip to Bali
Bali for learning to surf
The waves around Bali aren't easy for beginners — the reef breaks in particular require a solid foundation before you throw yourself at them. Kuta provides the most accessible options for learners, with beach break waves that are considerably more forgiving than anything you'll find on the Bukit Peninsula. Once you can handle a reef break the options open up significantly, especially in the off season when the swells are a little smaller and the lineups are that bit more manageable.
An honest note on Bali: Accept it for what it is. It will never be what it was — but that's okay. Cherish the memories you have of a place rather than bash it for evolving. Use those memories to stoke the fires of exploration and go and find quieter places. If you want comfortable accommodation, great food, waves, nightlife, warm weather and genuine hospitality — Bali still has all of this in abundance. Just be prepared for the traffic, the crowds, and the prices that come with getting western comforts in Indonesia.
Why we were there — a board and some gear
We stopped in Bali for five days on our way from Lombok to Rote — practically as much as anything else. Living in Brunei means no access to decent surf equipment, so Bali is where we stock up. Ben needed a new board. We needed wax, leashes, and a few other things that simply aren't available at home. If you're based in Southeast Asia and travelling through Indonesia, factor in a Bali stop for exactly this reason. The surf shops around Uluwatu and Kuta are well stocked and significantly cheaper than anything you'll find elsewhere in the region.
The Rip Curl Cup Padang
Padang Padang
We were lucky. Timing a trip to coincide with a Rip Curl Cup waiting period is one thing — actually being there when it runs is another entirely. We were there when it ran.
Padang Padang at size is something you have to see to understand. The wave throws out these perfect, heavy, round barrels over a shallow reef and the world's best surfers make it look manageable. It is not manageable for most people. Watching from the channel on a jet ski, even the channel felt serious.
Ben sat on that jet ski and watched his hero Mason Ho pull into barrel after barrel at one of the most celebrated waves in the world. He met him afterwards. There are moments on a surf trip that go beyond surfing — that remind you exactly why you do all of this. This was one of those moments.
Hanging out on the ski
I watched Ben's face as much as I watched the waves. The expression of someone who has grown up loving surfing, who has been in the water since he was three years old on a Cornish beach, now sitting in the channel at big Padang Padang watching the best in the world do what they do. Properly stoked. Properly present. Nowhere else in the world he'd rather be.
Neither would I.
On going back to places you love
I still paddle out at Uluwatu when I get a chance. It is busy — of course it is. But I catch waves. Good ones. And sitting in the lineup looking back at the cliff, the cave, the temple up above, I always feel exactly what I felt the first time I was here in 2001.
A great view of the peak at Uluwatu
Some places earn that. Bali has earned it.
Don't write it off. Don't let nostalgia turn into resentment. Go back, lower your expectations on the crowd, raise them on everything else — and let it remind you why you fell in love with it in the first place.
