All types of waves
All abilities
All boards
Wet Season - Oct-March
All budgets
All types of waves
All abilities
All boards
Wet Season - Oct-March
All budgets
For the purpose of this guide, East Bali is categorised from Nusa Dua (even though it is on the Bukit Peninsula, it is best in East coast conditions.) and north, and including the offshore island of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. It is typically a lot quieter than the Kuta and the west coast, with Sanur and Nusa Dua being the tourism centres but it is targeting a more upmarket tourist that that of Kuta.
Nusa Dua is a gated complex that encompasses a series of high end resorts complete with manicured gardens. You will need to drive through a security check if you are hunting for waves around there.
Sanur has a hotel lined beach front that runs from Hyatt Reef all the way to Sanur reef. All of these hotels are more up market hotels. Sanur is where you can catch the ferry across to Nusa Lembongan, and is where the coral reefs and clear water of the south stop and the black sand beaches and more dirty water begin.
North of Sanur all the way up the coast is a little more sparse than Sanur and Nusa Dua, with a lot more space and a lot less accommodation and food options targeted at tourists. A little bit of Bahasa Indonesia can help get around up here, but there are still a few empty waves to be found, although they can be fickle. Keramas hosts a small flurry of resorts, and there are local accommodations and villas to rent scattered around.
Across the channel you will find Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, which offers a different orientation to the east coast with the surfing coast facing west and is best in the dry season. The island vibe of these islands attracts a lot of tourists and accommodation and eating options are wide and varied, ranging from cheap homestays to high end villas over looking the bay. These islands also offer world class diving and snorkelling.
East Bali is most famous for the wave at Keramas, 20 minutes drive north of the town of Sanur. Keramas was kept secret until the 2000’s when this wave was sent into the spotlight of world surfing, and now hosts a world tour event! Kommune Resort & Beach Club was built in front of the wave in 2011, with huge spotlights allowing the wave to even be surfed at night.
While Keramas draws the main crowd, there are plenty of spots along this coast and because of the rural setting with little development, those who do their research can often surf alone with no crowd to speak of.
The waves along this coast vary a lot. From Nusa Dua to Sanur is predominately right hand reef breaks breaking over coral in clear water, and north from Sanur the waves change to beach breaks and volcanic rock shelf, which is no less intimidating than their coral neighbours. All these waves are typically wet season waves, being off shore in the west to north west winds.
The Nusa Dua region draws in a lot of swell and very rarely goes flat, but as you head north the Bukit peninsula shelters a lot of the coast almost all the way to Keramas, needing a larger swell to light them up which is uncommon in the wet season. The Nusa Dua region can offer some world class waves in small conditions, and Sri Lanka can light up when it get bigger.
The Sanur area hosts a series of quality reefs, and Sanur reef itself can produce some of the best right handers in Bali when the conditions all line up.
Serangan Island is a swell magnet, and the crowds will pool up there on the smaller swells.
The reefs along the southern east coast are set out from the beach, so be prepared for a long paddle or a long walk over sharp reef at low tide. There is a boat available at some spots for anywhere up to 100,000 rupiah, which can be a good option if you prefer not to surf with booties or would rather save your energy for surfing.
North of Sanur, the sand becomes black and the water becomes dirty as a lot of rivers spill out around here. Keramas is the main wave up here, and will always be the most crowded, but there are other spots around that are not mentioned in this guide, get searching and you may score some rare uncrowded waves. A lot of this coast doesn’t break at low tide, so explore on the higher tides to increase your chances. The rivers can provide good geographic shape to host various waves.
Nusa Lembongan Island is completely different to the east coast of the mainland, with the surf coast orientated to make the most of the dry season offshore trade winds. All the waves here break over coral reef in crystal clear water, and offers something for every level, including 2 rights, 2 lefts and a fun beginner A-frame at playgrounds.
The east coast offers wave for all abilities, but predominately the waves are recommended for intermediate and advanced surfers.
There are no lifeguard facilities on the east coast, nowhere to rent boards and often not many people around to confirm that conditions are safe, or help in the event of an emergency. If you are a beginner and are interested in surfing some of these spots, it would be advised to go with a more experienced friend, or book a surf guide who can choose the right spot for the conditions and offer advice as to paddling out and getting back to the beach without incident.
Check out these spots for beginners in Bali.
Short-boards are the best option for most spots along East Bali especially in larger, long period swells. You may find some options for longboards on smaller days at Serangan or Hyatt Reef.
The surf shops in this area are few and far between, with a shop on the beach at Keramas which sells a few second hand boards, and a leggie or 2, and a few scattered through Sanur. It is a better option to head back into Kuta to make any equipment purchases or hires.
Predominantly a wet season coast, Nusa Dua all the way north on the mainland make the most of the wet season NW trade winds from October to March, but waves can be found year round and the mornings during the dry season can be glassy before the wind comes up, and can be a fantastic option for less crowded waves.
The wet season sees smaller, shorter period swells typically as the Southern Hemisphere summer has less storm activity, meaning that waves on this coast that require a lot of swell and NW winds can be quite rare treat.
your best bet to score these waves is in the shoulder seasons, where a long period swell is more likely and the winds are light.
The advantage of the east coast is that the mountains come right up to the coast and can be quite cool at night, this means that the cool air can sink off the mountains giving great offshore conditions on the east coast most mornings.
Nusa Lembongan is best in the dry season as the SE trade winds are offshore for the breaks here.
From the Airport, travel east over the toll bridge towards Benoa Harbour, then follow the signs north toward Sanur/ Gianyar. The overpass, that is suspended over the harbour is T-shaped and you have the option of turning north past Serangan and toward Sanur, or south to Nusa Dua. Be sure to get in the correct lane if you are in a scooter, there is a dedicated lane for scooters on the left hand side that is poorly signed and you can be fined if you are driving in the wrong lane.
NB: cash is required to pay the toll across the bridge, or you can choose the longer roads through Kuta without tolls.
Aproximate driving times from the airport.
Nusa Dua: 30 minutes.
Sanur: 30 minutes.
Nusa Lembongan: 30 minutes by car + around 30 minutes on the ferry, but this will need to be arranged ahead of time so allow around half a day for this travel.
Keramas: 1 hour.
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