Balian

Surfing at Balian Overview

Quick Info

Balian offers a respite from the reefs, breaking mainly left over smooth boulders where the river spills into the sea.

An amazing, beautiful part of Bali, with not much to do but surf, yoga and relax. A great place to spend some time.

About Balian

Balian offers rights and lefts breaking along a boulder bottom and shingle bank. The lefts are longer and more frequent than the rights as the south and south-west swells bend around the boulder bank. The boulders can move around a bit after heavy rains, but typically you will find a long and easy point break style wave, great for progressing beginners and intermediates, or the advanced surfer wanting to let there hair down on the playful walls. The lower tide tends to liven the wave up a bit, offering more performance style walls whereas the high tide can be quite mellow as the wave breaks in deeper water.

The rights can offer a bit more power but tend to shut down as they peel back towards the river mouth, but worth keeping an eye on after heavy rains as some great rights can happen here. Balian is exposed to all swell angles, and there is nothing to refract the energy, so it is typically a small to mid-range swell spot as large swells can turn it into an un-surfable washing machine.

Best Conditions for Balian

Balian breaks on all tides, and all swell directions up to 1.5 overhead, and sometimes a bit bigger. A wave well suited for progressing surfers. It is offshore in NE – NW winds, but typically likes glassy early mornings, as the trade winds in both seasons blow cross onshore. It can be fun to surf in a light onshore wind.

Getting in and out at Balian

Access to the wave is over the rocks and through the line up, or in bigger swells you can make your way out of the end of the point. Beware at lower tides as some rocks can have barnacles on them and can cut your feet.

Coming in is just a matter of straightening out and picking your way across the boulders.

Getting to Balian

Get to Balian by heading north on Jalan Raya Denpasar – Gilimanuk and turning towards the coast on Jalan Pantai Balian. Follow this all the way to the end, there is a small amount of parking, and a few good places to eat and stay.

Hazards to look out for at Balian

The boulders here can get slippery, and some have barnacles that can cut your feet at low tide so be aware of where you are placing you feet.

There have been shark bites here in the past.