8th June 09
****MORNING SURF UP-DATE****
G’day friends of Bali and welcome back to the baliwaves.com for another week of surf and weather info along with another couple a hundred photos thrown in. Firstly, and pardon me for raving again. But I dunno whats going on with some surfers these days, especially the ones that live part time here in Bali. I’m always hearing complaints that Bali is too crowded ? Well they should try chasing waves anywhere along the East Coast of Australia, West Coast of the USA, Hawaii or for that matter anywhere in the World that gets World class surf. They may have forgotten, that not that very long ago Bali was stricken with vicious terrorist attacks leaving Bali and it’s people without tourism and scratching to make ends meet. Now it’s tourist trade is getting back on track these folks are complaining there’s too many tourists in Bali ? Do you think any of the local Balinese are complaining about their island being a popular surfing / holiday destination, no sir ! These few ex-pats maybe also forgetting that true surfers are and always will be adaptable to diferent conditions. Be it swell size, wind direction, reef, rock, sand, and even crowds.
Alrighty alrighty, this mornings surf check of the Outer Reefs here in Tuban was showing wave height to be barely breaking between Kuta Reef and Airport Left. Actual wave height is in the 6-12 inch range and when the tide peaks for it’s 2.5mtr High around 10.00am it’s going to be flat city out there and just about everywhere else from Kuta south. With maybe the exception of some waist to chest high plus waves down at Uluwatu.
Tidal info for today is saying we have a 2.5mtr High @ 10.00am then running out for a reef exposing 0.1mtr Low @ 5.00pm.
No reports from the G-Land or the Mentawai regions so I’d have to imagine there’s not much happening in those parts of Indonesia either.
Photo up-date; Hendra’s Surf Photography Team from down at Uluwatu have delivered another 22 photos taken at Uluwatu yesterday afternoon, and you can find them on our Readers Report Page.
Weather wise in the Kuta / Tuban area of Bali this morning is shaping up for another perfect day on the holiday island (shame about the swell). Heading for a top temperature of around 32 degree’s Celsius. Wind direction is blowing clean off-shore coming out of the ESE-SE @ 5-9knot.
Swell Forecast, is not looking real good over the next week. The boys (forecasting) are calling or wave height to remain in the knee to chest high range at the better locations with maybe a slight increase in size come next Sunday.
So, maybe it’s a good time to get out and about in Bali and see some of the other attractions and sights thats on offer. Me I’ll be locking in some fishing time thats for sure.
Ok folks we hope you have a fine day what ever your going to be doing.
Best Regards from Bali
Slim
rob says
Hey Slim,
I agree with what you are saying about how the business is good for the Balinese people, they rely heavily on the tourist dollar, tourism in Bali puts a lot of food on a lot of plates. I have been surfing Bali for a few months every year for the last 18 years. I left Bali this week and I have to say the in last couple of years from a surfing perspective the changes I have seen in Bali in the water are nothing short of disturbing. I don’t think most surfers are annoyed so much at the crowds as they are at the kind of people who are flooding the line up. Surf schools are turning over high numbers of European backpackers many of whom are from non surfing countries and are entering the line up with either no idea of or no regard for the etiquette and respect in the line up. I surfed all over the bukit whilst there and at apt’s, middles, KR, Canggu and Medewi and I witnessed the same thing at every location – hordes of Europeans paddling into line ups that they’re not yet competent to surf safely. I continuously saw learners paddling inside of competent surfers, including locals and would consistently mince wave after wave only to paddle inside the entire line up and do it all again, and then throwing their boards away without any regard for anyone who happened to be behind them. Bali has had moderate crowds for years and surfers from Australia, Brazil, Japan, the US and plenty of other countries have always successfully negotiated their way through the line up and everyone has managed to get their fix whilst there without to many dramas. Although I recognise everyone has the right to learn to surf and that there are more people in the world these days and that everywhere is more crowded, the surf schools – especially the surf company run schools – if they want to make money off people learning to surf, then they have an obligation to respect surfing and the surfing community by properly educating the people having lessons. I believe this is the only way Bali will keep it’s chilled, friendly vibe in the water which is what Bali is so famous for. Let’s face it – we don’t want another Hawaii.
Ham says
Yeah nicely put Slim! totally agree with you,slim and rob there…shaka!=)
slim says
well put Rob, I agree about the total lack of respect and understanding the “instant surfers” have. And that these surf schools should do more than just churn out problems for everyone else in the line-ups. Not that long ago I saw a job advertisement for a “surf instructor” in a local news paper. Qualifications needed were 1-2yrs surfing experience…….
anthony parry says
we should respect the local surfers first and then each other