Bali, a True Surfer’s Paradise

Bali, a true Surfer’s Paradise. When I was a kid starting to surf in Australia, on the Sunshine Coast (no, not the Gold Coast) in Queensland, Bali was a mythical destination.

Surfers would return from Indonesia with tales of epic surf, friendly locals and cheap beer.

They would also come back with the scars to prove it too, either from hitting the shallow reefs that lie just a foot or two under the perfect rolling waves, or from the almost inevitable motorbike crashes.

Some surfers wouldn’t return for months, knowing that during the time between April and September, when the trade winds blow offshore, the swell is as persistent as a sarong seller on Kuta Beach.

Now, we’re in Bali, a destination Lara and I resisted travelling to for many years, I am finally getting to experience it.

The famous surfing spots of Uluwatu and Padang Padang on the Bukit Peninsula are legendary and even the tamer surf spots of Kuta Beach and Canggu, the closest beach to our villa, turn on classic surf for much of the winter.

Pro surfers on their break from the world tour often make Bali their base for a couple of months before heading to South Africa for the next contest in July.

It’s truly a surfers paradise and while the beaches don’t compare to Western Australia’s Margaret River region, which in my opinion boasts some the best beaches in the world, the surf is easily as good. And no pesky sharks!

If only the wine was cheaper for that sunset drink at the beach…