First big swell for 2016, Padang Padang & Uluwatu 16/05/2016

BALI / INDONESIA
16th – 17th May 2016
Hi surfers and thanks again for dropping into the baliwaves (keeping you up to date with Bali’s surfing scene since back in 1999) for our latest news and the best possible views on surfing and weather conditions from right here on the World’s No.1 tropical surfing holiday destination, Bali.

Ok so here it is, the first solid swell of the year for Bali. This 124 strong photo gallery was shot yesterday afternoon starting off at Padang Padang. As it shows wave height was pushing the 5-6ft range and there might have even been a couple of slightly bigger bombs that came through. At first as the tide was still running out there would have only been around 30 surfers jockeying for position and as the tide bottomed out around 1.30PM there would have been more like 50 surfers in the line up. But no matter how many riders in the water it was the local surfers who dominated and scored the best of the best waves.

The last section of today’s gallery also features a few bomb sets at Uluwatu. We were only there for an hour but that was long enough to see some some solid waves breaking on the Bombie and on the OC. I would have to be calling wave height at Uluwatu in the 6 – 10ft range.

Ketut was our man behind the lens yesterday shooting with a hand held 600mm lens in manual operation. Not too mention shooting into the afternoon sun here on Bali’s West Coast, and did it good.

Today the 17th and our 7.00AM surf check on the Outer Reefs of Tuban was showing wave height to have backed off a touch but still looking pretty solid between Kuta Reef and Airport Left. Another big early morning crowd on Kuta Reef and Airport Left. That’s the normal when the waves get too big for the average surfer, they head for KR.

But we made our way back down to the bukit end of the island to Bingin for a look see. And as it turned out we were lucky enough (or calculated) to find most of Bali’s hot new breed of surfer down there tearing the place apart, or tearing the waves apart. Wave height at Bingin was in the 3-5ft range and a perfect size for this mechanical wave. The bigger sets were just breaking a touch wide of the  ledge but the in between sets were perfect. We have another 700 photos to sort through from today so stay tuned and we’ll get them to you ASAP.

Weather wise it’s been hot and sunny with a fresh off shore wind. Right now at 4.30PM the mercury is still on 34 degree’s Celsius with the Humidity at 75%. Wind direction is ESE @12knot.

Tomorrow is showing another slight bump in wave height and we will be back out there again keeping you covered so make sure you stay tuned to the one and only original Bali surf report website.