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.