Surf Heaven

One morning at breakfast, I overheard a 50-something Australian talking about Bali “back in the day.” Surf stories hold a startling similarity to fishing tales: the one “this long” (arms stretched to incredulous length) that got away or the “really big one” I landed on some distant vacation but didn’t have a camera. I eavesdropped but was inclined to file the tale as ‘unlikely’. Perhaps it was my snicker that prompted the guy next to me to speak up. He knew the storyteller and assured me he did indeed have bragging rights as one of the first to surf the now legendary break at Ulu Watu.

When Kuta Beach was still a maze of rice paddies and the beach break became boring, intrepid surfers were discovering breaks in unusual locations. The vantage points from the dusty footpath along the cliff tops of the Bukit Peninsula made it was easy to spot potential breaks. Descending the sheer cliffs, getting out across the jagged reef to the break and returning safely was and remains the challenge. Early pioneers were undoubtedly considered crazy as they climbed down ropes to the cave that opens to Ulu Watu, especially as the Balinese feared the sea. To do this, they employed a small army of board carriers, rope attendants and cliff-top monitors, creating a new tourism market as a result: surfing.

Surfers stayed with local families before there were any guest houses or hotels. Families cooked, cleaned and provided related services. Relationships were forged that helped shape the future of the local economy. Locals rented surf boards their friends left behind, learned to repair them and local board shapers and manufacturing developed. To serve the surge in surf tourists, an abundance of accommodation, restaurants and bars close to every major break emerged. A generation later, young Balinese surfers are gaining worldwide recognition amongst professional surfers.

Today, the surf industry is a major component of Bali’s tourism. Bali is loaded with surf breaks; some well-known, others secret locations whispered between friends and kindred spirits. Gone are the days of knowing everybody on the break. Modern Bali is one of the Holy Grail destinations for surfers from around the world and the most popular breaks are often crowded. The long beach break at Kuta is suited to the masses of beginners. Experienced surfers flock to the Bukit Peninsula and the legendary Ulu Watu, nearby Dreamland, Bingin or Impossibles. Even late in the season, the breaks have several people vying for waves.

By chance, I discovered a ‘secret spot’ further up the east coast than one might expect the waves to be breaking. It was easy to spot from the cliff top to the north, but surfers rarely venture that far in search of a break. After winding through rice paddies and palm plantations, I emerged at a consistent point break. It was the personal playground of fewer than fifteen locals and three foreigners. This is what draws surfers to Bali repeatedly – known world class surf breaks and the chance for someone to whisper a secret spot in your ear.


Copyright Tim Morch, 2006