B-B-Bali Surf Coaching and getting away from Tourists.

I've heard the Chill House does this sort of thing, though I haven't checked - have a squiz on google. Slim over at www.baliwaves.com also might be able to hook you up.

G'day ACB. Can't say about surf coaching or even surf in North Bali but there are definitely waves heading further (north) east than Keramas and further (north) west than Canggu and the crowds thin considerably. The one caveat however is that other geographical features (islands such as Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida on the east side and Southern Java on the West), and swell size/direction have a large bearing on how far north east or north west you head before running out of surf options.

My last couple of trips to Bali, I spent a bit of time exploring side roads and dirt tracks up to Amed on the east Coast (surf options do appear to end at the eastern most point of Bali) and up to Gilimanuk in the West (surf appears to end not much further past Negara).

Apart from Keramas, on the east coast and Balian/Medewi on the west, there are kilometre after kilometre of empty beach breaks, river/creek mouth breaks, and reefs with no other surfer in sight. Not giving away exact locations, but there is a break in plain sight of the Gilimanuk road, before you get to Medewi that I surfed by myself and which reminded me of a particular reef on the Sunshine Coast. Also a nice creek mouth break north of Balian, the equal of some of the best peaks I have surfed on the southern QLD and northern NSW coasts. Same on the east coast, there are a multitude of options north of Keramas all the way up to and past Amlapura (there is a particular reef/point option between Candidasa and Amlapura I might suggest you try and find). As mentioned, just have to take a punt, turn off to any side road, heading towards the beach and you may luck onto your own little slice of Bali heaven with no one out. I will add, if you want to get away from the muppets, the further away you get from Kuta, the better Bali gets.

A few suggestions starting with Keramas (you mentioned you are planning to be there for 5 days). There are waves north and south of the main break. Go for a little walk and see what you find. You might be pleasantly surprised to have a wave to yourself whilst 20 people sit on the peak in front of Kommune. If you absolutely must surf the main wave straight out the front of Kommune, there appears to be notable shift changes. Keep an eye on the crowds and pick when the crowd tends to thin. Keramas can be a on and off several times throughout the day, so if you paddle out when the surf is clearing because it is getting a little side-shore or bumpy or tide affected, it may just turn back off-shore ½ hour later and start to pump. There is also a warung south of Kommune which offer cheap tasty meals and fruit smoothies. Nice people too. Another suggestion is to learn a little bahasa, because it's always respectful to try the native tongue when you are visiting another country, and the locals do appreciate the effort. I found there is very little English (almost non-existent) the further north you go. Might I suggest this online site (disclaimer: I have no link or affiliation whatsoever to this site other than searching google for free bahasa lessons a few years ago before my first Bali trip and I found them very good): http://www.learningindonesian.com/ . Last but not least, you can play safe and eat at café’s/restaurant’s etc, but it is way more fun and more atmosphere eating at warungs and cholera carts (especially when practicing your recently acquired Bahasa skills).

All the very best, hope you have the time of your life.

Nice post Ash ;)

Don't encourage him Welly or he'll move on to his '101 uses for a sarong', including his famous 'beer sling' and snake tourniquet.

You know he got thrown out of a temple in Bali once because they told him he had to wear a sarong. He fashioned it into quite a stylish G-string but those humourless Hindus couldn't see the funny side of it.

Maybe because he wore it around the wrong way?

Earplugs are mandatory around those rivermouths and always flush ears after a surf with aqua ear or similar, gargle your throat with a weak water[bottled] betadine solution.....pure evil lurks in the river run offs.

And never take up the offer of a 'happy ending' whilst having a beach massage if the purveyor has an Adams Apple.

Just sayin......

zenagain wrote:

Don't encourage him Welly or he'll move on to his '101 uses for a sarong', including his famous 'beer sling' and snake tourniquet.

You know he got thrown out of a temple in Bali once because they told him he had to wear a sarong. He fashioned it into quite a stylish G-string but those humourless Hindus couldn't see the funny side of it.

Maybe because he wore it around the wrong way?

Zenmon you obviously know Ash well....!

I'm pretty sure it's his brother Welly.

Cheers for the encouragement Wellymon and ACB, not that I need any more as noted by zen (yep, zen is my elder brother). It also wasn't the g-string so much, but the follow up fashioning into the man-kini with matching bow tie (number 37 of 101 uses for a sarong). Those temple monkeys are some of the nastiest little bastard's on the island, will grab anything including your jatz-crackers (not fun in a man-kini).

Bugger the scooter idea, four walls for safety. You are likely to be sharing a single lane with 4 cars, 15 scooters and 2 trucks abreast. I have never seen so many vehicles fit into a 4 metre square space. In saying this, it seems to be much safer than driving in Australia and everybody is courteous.

Good advice on the river mouths udo.

Ash do you ride a red short little looking fat square Twinnie...????
Or am I getting you mixed up with someone else.
Cheers brother of Zenmon;)

Ash, I thought we put that nastiness behind us?

Think of our poor old mum. She must have been so proud getting that little phone call from the Australian Consulate.

Anyway ACB, Ash is quite accomplished at sniffing out the uncrowded sesh somewhere. So regrettably, I concur with what he has to say. He's been pretty much the solo warrior as long as we've been surfing.

Probably because of his surly disposition and a scorching case of herpes:)

PS No Welly, that would be the tall skinny one with bad eyesight and low self-esteem.

international drivers licence needed these days most car hire places wont hire to you without one
expect to pay bribes 100,000 rupiah about $9-$10 aus up to 3 times aweek, yep serious .....for doing nothing refuse to pay they take your licence and cars rego papers to be picked up in Denpasar police station [we always paid] .
One afternoon about 4pm heading to serangan for a late surf local constabulary waiting on the corner of the beach rd and hwy had approx. 25 scooter riders and 5 or 6 cars that were heading home pulled over to collect BULE money ...$10 per car or scooter....nice earner....a months wages or more in about 20mins ....what can you do ? just pay its cheap and the way there system works. this was in 2013 same this year I guess.

Drove a car around Bali on off for a few months earlier this year. Didn't need an international licence to hire it and I got confirmation from my insurance company that I was still covered for an accident without it as long as I had an Aussie drivers licence . Never got pulled over by police but I had to gun it passed them once when they saw me and their eyes lit up.
Car cost me 170000 rupiah / day. I'd never ride a bike there and my Indo mates only do it if they can't afford a car.
If you're wanting an international drivers licence it's a lot easier to get in Australia apparently. I think it's a mission to get one over there.

You know Udo, Ash is such a terrible driver and a hazard to other road users, that the Balinese police actually pay HIM to leave the rental car back at the posh resort he usually stays at. Usually he can get another 50,000 out of them if threatens to tell tell them one of his stories about the good old days in Bali and how things used to be.

Nah Welly must be someone else. Last time I owned a twinny was a plain white Sky back in the late 80's. Can't even remember where I got it. It was lined up by Zen (might have been offloaded by one of his mates).

Never hired a scooter. I expect cars to be the more expensive option. I understand that you can hire a driver for $50+ per day (if you are a great haggler) but then you have to pay for his petrol/meals on top of that. Mind you, meals are cheap and so is petrol at 67c per litre (as at August last year) and unlike Australia, the price never moves and is the same the island over. Also saves you the hassle of driving and navigating in an unusual place. I usually just hire the car without a driver for the same $50 and drive myself (scout around and you find a variation in hire prices, negotiate for a cheaper price for longer hires). My dear old dad always says, you are never lost as long as you have petrol in the tank. You can always find a detailed Bali map from bookstores/newsagents (try Carrefore shopping centre).

All vehicles require you to have a current Aussie licence for the vehicle you will be hiring (motorbike for scooter, car for car, learners licence doesn't cut it) and an international drivers permit which you organise here in Australia through RACQ/NRMA/RACV or whichever state motoring body you have.

As for bribes, I got hit up by saying you need a local Indo licence. This is not the case. You can try and play dumb/don't understand and keep them standing around for as long as possible (costing them money as more and more cars pass them by) until they finally get sick or you and send you on your way, or you can try and argue the point, maybe ask for their identification, and then tell them you will lodge a complaint with the local regional commander. I was pulled over short of Pecatatu (near Medewi) last year and got hit with this lack of Indo licence scheme. They had a nice little hit and run scheme going with around 6 coppers pulling a RBT stop and go scenario (3 and 4 cars lined up) both sides of the Gilimanuk main road. Paid the 50000rp (just short of $5) and went on my way. I headed in to Pecatatu to the local station to check on the actual rules and found that the coppers were pulling a swifty. I will say that the senior Pecatatu police appeared quite pissed off and were very apologetic. One of the senior police was even offering to give my money back out of his own wallet (which I didn't take as it wasn't him doing the shakedown). I was directed in to a room to speak to the Regional Commander for the Negara region who explained that they are trying their best to clean out the corrupt, asked me for any identifying information, and where they were doing the pull-overs. I gave then what information I could , they made out a report, and I left them with it. Another time I was asked for the rego papers for the car. I explained it was a hire car, started pulling at all sorts or papers etc in the glove box (no idea what I was looking for). The police probably thought they weren't getting anywhere, and sent me on my way. I did get a little tip that you carry two wallets, only putting a couple of thousand rupiah in your everyday wallet, and keep your other cash hidden. When being hit up for a bribe just keep arguing it's all they money you have. Also, will add that I have only been pulled up twice in Bali, both times on the west coast between Balian and Medewi. Never had an issue on the east coast (so far).

As for swell in December/January, take a little stroll in Baliwaves archive for a general idea http://www.baliwaves.com/category/surf-report/bali/page/6/ .

Geez Zen, pot calling the kettle black. Dad still says that you are the scariest driver he has ever been with (not bad when dad was in driver training centre for the army teaching driving skills from motorbikes up to tank carriers). This also includes the bloke in the army that he would only let drive with one hand on the wheel because if he used two hands he would veer off the road. At least the Aussies are now safe, pity the poor Japanese drivers. Fuck, I do sound surly, don't I.

I was just fucking with you.

You're not a bad driver.

You can hire a car with a driver and all fuel included for about $30/day. You might be able to get it cheaper, that's just the deal I have with a fella. I can give you his number if you want. Good bloke - helpful but mellow, doesn't try to push or sell anything on you and is just a legend guy full stop.

Have never been the greatest negotiator myself Blowin, but that is a great price. Did this blokes details get passed on to you or did you find him yourself and do your own negotiation? Great effort if the latter.

zenagain wrote:

I was just fucking with you.

You're not a bad driver.

Love it... Brotherly love.
Which my brother knew how to drive a computer and keep in touch, he can only drive 4wd's, jet boats and his rifle...?
Hey hang on a minute how is he going to the Ukraine in 6 weeks time to pick up a wife.....?
Got me stumped, the sly bugger...

Yeah, he's a top bloke Welly. He'd give you the shirt off his back.

Problem is you wouldn't want it. His shirts are mostly skin tight, pink and adorned with sequins.

Just met him myself Ash. He lurks out the front of Rip Curl on Legian street near Surfer Girl surf shop.
He loves a beer and is a very honest fella.

This guy is cool: Heriyanto
mobile: 081 337 302 411 - landline: 0361 758681 - lives at Legian
cool dude loves a beer a surf and rooting stories .

ACB, his name is Wayan : +6281338458505 is his phone number.
He doesn't surf but wants to learn to help lose his arak belly. He knows all the main spots and a few others that we have found together with a bit of exploration.
He will just wait by the car and maybe have a bit of a gamble while you surf, no pressure.
He drives safely , speaks good English , has a chat if your keen or let's you relax if your tired or chilling, will help you out wherever he can ie getting the best price for things and is just a legend guy.
It would be unreal if you threw a bit of trade his way. Have a good time over there anyway mate. Bali is awesome.
If I see a local I'll go out of my way to say G'day in Indo. It's their country and 99 percent of the Balinese are champions. They mostly surf well and are friendly as fuck if you don't give them reason to be otherwise.

Zennie Boy is just a bit to far north of Byron to have a beer with ?
about 35+ degrees north of the equator by memory.

Twas a very kind offer though all the same Udo. Thanks ACB.

Hope you enjoy your travels.

Yes ,very Australian.

Cheers anyway ACB , but I'll be gone by then. Hope you have a good time and get a few waves.

No worries ACB. Mate, I'm up for a few beers anytime, unlike Zen. It's just plain embarrassing taking him to a pub and having to order him a shirley temple. Zen also fails to mention that like all little brothers, I get his hand-me-downs. I have the matching skin tight high-hip white leather pants that also were handed down. Explains his high pitch voice. I just thought he liked Barry Gibb.

As for doing the tourist thing, just about everything I mention will be temples or educational (I'm in to that sort of thing) but read on if you will.

Tirta Gangga is quite nice. You usually get hooked up with a guide at the gate whether you want to or not. The missus and I ended up with a deaf mute called Juli. This did work out better than it sounds. He had his little notebook for when he couldn't do the charades thing. That's how we found out he was named Juli after the month he was born in. Takes you everywhere, and then to meet his family who live above the water palace. His mum makes really nice woven sarongs which are for sale. As with everything, negotiate a price for your guide first (not that Juli was too bad).

As mentioned, Tirta Empul is nice too. I rate Tirta Gangga better though. Quick tip. Don't follow the exit signs to get out. Just go out the way you came in. If you follow the exit, you will be led into a labyrinth of hundreds of shops, each selling the same shit, and all of them hard selling. If you haven't developed the thousand yard stare before you hit this place, you will probably end up snotting someone.

Same goes for Tanah Lot. Once you have seen it, not much else to do apart from palming off the hawkers.

I highly recommend the museum negeri propinsi bali in Denpasar. If you can, find a guide called Wayan (one of many I'm sure) from Mengwi (claims to be of royalty from the Mengwi dynasty, 7th brother in the family, can't quite remember the details). Has a big Eddie Murphy head tilted back, wide open mouth smile. Hilarious fella but doesn't mean to be. Absolute wealth of knowledge in the history of Bali, all the conflicts, everything. Our trip to the museum would have been nothing without this bloke.

Just across from the museum is Puputan Square which commemorates the suicidal stand of the rajahs of Badung against the invading dutch in 1906 (some interesting but quite sad photo's of this are in the museum). It's a peaceful park in the chaos of Denpasar where people come to fly kites of all sizes, from small to f'ing huge.

Lebih beach (just north of Keramas) is alright for a little detour. It's a spin out at night as is full of mica and like walking amongst a billion stars (same with Echo Beach to Pererenan on the west coast).

Since you are around the Keramas area, a quick trip over to Semapura (Klungkung) which is about 20 minutes away, to visit Taman Kertha Gosa is well worth it. Museum Semarajaya is in the same palace/temple.

Tenganan further north up the east coast may interest you. It's a traditional village trying to hold on to the past. Seem to make their money selling banana leaf drawings but not your usual hard sell you get down in Kuta. They just let you have a look and if you buy you buy, if not no hassle (which makes a nice change).

A lot of tourists usually head to Amed, but really their isn't a great deal there unless you are interested in salt production. The real interest is taking the coast road (not the main road) around the twisting mountains to Amed. You keep looking down to the coast looking at potential surf breaks (if only you could get down there) and trying not to go over the edge. It's like New Zealand in the tropics.

You could also check out Uluwatu temple. You will probably head to Ulu anyway so might has well check the temple whilst your at it. As mentioned, watch those bastard monkeys, oh and wouldn't drop my name anywhere, you know....the sarong thing.

Ubud: can't recommend anything here really. I personally hate the fucken place. There is touristy and then there is shameless exploitation. Ubud falls into the latter.

As for locals in the water, never had a problem. Like the world over, show respect, wait your turn, maybe even donate a turn or two, offer a smile and a friendly greeting, and you should never have a worry.

Cheers Blowing and Udo for the contacts. Might throw them a bit of work next time I'm over. Would love to have a few beers post surf but as I generally surf by myself, seeking out the solo uncrowded, I usually have to worry about the drive back to accommodation.

Tidak Masala Ash.

I told you ACB, bloody sarong's.

First paragraph, he can't leave 'em alone.

Shit, busted. I asked the missus what the woven thing was hanging off the back of the couch and she said Sarong. I was trying to look for another word. Should have said Batik. Yep, think that's it. Whew, explained my way out of that one.