G’day Baliwaves crew,
Today marks the 25th anniversary of Baliwaves. Sadly Slim didn’t get to see this milestone, but we are keeping the site alive in his memory. Back in November 1999, I (Troy) met Slim (Jim) for the first time. A friend and I stayed with him at the homestay he was at at that time, and he helped us locate the best waves in Bali. I had connected with Slim via the RealSurf website where he was doing semi regular surf reports. On the last day of my stay in Bali, Slim mentioned he would like his own website – a month or so later, on December 19th, baliwaves.com was launched with its very first surf report.
The original website was pretty basic, see the screenshots and images in the gallery above from the very first report from December 19, 1999. Here’s the text of that surf report, capturing the vibe and conditions of Bali’s surf scene:
Bali 19Dec1999
Once again there has been a few ok waves over the last week in Bali. Not quite as good as the previous, but still good enough to clear the head. Wave height dropped away on the 13th down to 4 ft at Nusa Dua, which does pick up the most swell during the wet season. But was back solid again on the 14th, Nusa Dua a solid 6-8 ft with offshore winds from the WNW. Green Balls also in the 6-8 ft size, but a little bit more open to the wind around there. Sanur still not happening unfortunately, a sad 1-3 ft through the week, once you get good Sanur reef happening your always hanging out for the next time it’s going to break. There was also plenty of waves at the ex secret spot called Serangan even though the barge has gone, there was still some good lefts and rights up to 6 ft through the week that was. The swell has continued to very slowly drop away and today wave height was down to 4 ft again at Nusa Dua. It looks like there is an increase in visitors in Bali now with the arrival of the party crew, one US$ is still around the Rp7,200. Hopefully by mid next week we could get lucky again with some more waves. Have a good week. J Bristow.
The website was built pre blogging days and so we don’t have an archive of all the reports from those early days, the website underwent varying iterations over years until it hit the current version (quite some time ago now). It is in the plans to rebuild the site to be a more up to date in the new year 🙂
Slim was the heart and soul of Baliwaves. His passion for surfing and love for Bali shone through every post he made. Whether it was a classic day at Uluwatu or a hidden gem along the east coast, Slim’s regular updates transported readers straight to the beaches of Bali. He had a knack for capturing the conditions with precision, humour, and a touch of cheekiness that only he could deliver.
Over the years, Baliwaves grew into a trusted source for surfers around the globe. From detailed surf reports to travel tips and great photography, Slim made sure there was something for everyone. He worked tirelessly to keep the community informed and stoked, often starting his days before sunrise to bring the latest from Bali’s beaches.
We’ll always remember Slim’s lighthearted disclaimers: “Baliwaves accepts no responsibility for absenteeism, daydreaming, depression, divorce, lethargy, alcoholism, jealousy, black magic, midlife crisis, Bali belly, or loss of wages.” It was this kind of humour and authenticity that kept readers coming back day after day.
In July 2024, Slim sadly passed. It’s a loss felt deeply by everyone who knew him and by the thousands who relied on his updates. But his spirit remains, and his legacy lives on through Baliwaves. Ketut has been consistent in delivering us photos and reports from around Bali and is continuing Slim’s work with the same dedication and love, ensuring that the essence of Bali’s surf culture continues to reach surfers far and wide.
We can’t thank you all enough for the donations that have come through the Gofundme page, the money that has come through is pivotal in providing stability to Slim family.
To all of you who’ve read, shared, contributed, or surfed Bali’s waves because of this site, thank you. Baliwaves wouldn’t be what it is without you.
Here’s to Slim, to Bali’s waves, and to the next 25 years of sharing the stoke. As Slim always said, “Life’s better in Bali.”
Stay stoked,
Troy
Congratulations Baliwaves, Troy and Slim.
Surely you plan on a limited edition run (plus postage) of tshirts with the logo at the top of this article? Post them all over the globe- could be a good leg up for the family?
You can find some snippets of older posts on the wayback machine internet archives, earliest I found that worked was June 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000609053408/https://www.baliwaves.com/main1.htm you could then choose other archives from the past that had been saved. Apologies if you already knew about this. Had a great time when Slim found me quality waves. Cheers
Good idea Dave. Thoughts are being thought 🙂
Thanks Adam. Yeah, you can see some of Slims earlier reports on Real Surf eg: https://web.archive.org/web/19990428174808/http://www.realsurf.com:80/
Thanks to you and Ketut for keeping BALIWAVES going. Great to way to honor Slim. I miss the salty old bastard….and that’s coming from another salty old bastard 🙂
Thanks Dana. Let us know if you make it out to Bali / Australia again soon!