For those looking for more adventure.
Looking to get off the beaten track and away from the crowded tourist areas? Do you enjoy the hunt for ‘spot x’ following a breadcrumb trail of clues and hours spent on google earth hunting down potential secret spots?
These spots are less frequented for a reason, they’re hard to get to, have little or no surrounding resources or can be fickle and require very particular conditions to work. For those who would rather a wave to themselves over mechanical perfection, there are plenty of gems to be found.
Bukit Peninsula
There are not many secrets left in this region, with all the reefs on the west coast pretty well documented and you wont be surfing alone. But on smaller swells, a number of breaks on the exposed south side of the Bukit Peninsula can provide a welcome respite from the crowds of Uluwatu.
Both Nyang-Nyang and Green Bowls have a few (hundred) steps to access the beach and can be blown out in the easterly trade winds. Recommended for early morning missions in either season before the wind comes up if you are prepared to trade the walk back up all those stairs for some uncrowded serenity. Some of the last spots in Bali to maintain a feeling of untouched beaches.
East Bali
While Keramas can get incredibly crowded, and for good reason, there are any number of spots along the east coast that are unlikely to be crowded at any time. The east coast is possibly the least explored coast, and has a lot more option than are outlined in this guide. Waves on this coast are fickle and very tidal so spend some time over here and sniff around.
While Sanur is easily accessed from the Ngurah Rai bypass and has plenty of resources available in the surrounding area, it is recommended to have a few words in Bahasa Indonesia, or a good translator app and connection to google maps if you wish to venture further afield. While there are restaurants and warungs along the road East, the level of English spoken is significantly less than in the main tourist areas on the western coast and western style food may not be commonly available. There are waves all along this coast, even in places you wouldn’t think swell would even get into!
West Coast
Due to the large numbers of surfers residing in this area we won’t give too much away, but head north to escape the crowds and get in the water early as the early bird gets the worm. There are numerous options of empty beach break peaks that can get epic on their day and even a few reefs and points still hiding up here.
