You can still find empty waves in Bali. You just need to go looking. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Bali is not known for its lack of crowds. The dream is still alive, though. Empty, perfect waves breaking in front of desolate beaches, the smell of Chempaka incense drifting on a light offshore breeze. It’s still possible… just very, very rare. But if you like warm water reef breaks (you do), it’s tough to beat Bali for a place to start.
“Bali, the island of gods,” Nic von Rupp wrote. “Such an amazing place. If you’re a surfer, it’s the perfect spot to base yourself off and chase swells in Indonesia. However, you’ll have to deal with the crowds.”
Like most things, however, there’s a workaround. Nic’s crowd workaround is a friend named Rodrigo. Rodrigo lives there and knows all the nooks and crannies that the casual surf tourist might not. He also happens to have a Jet Ski to aid in the search for empty lineups.
“That’s what we did in this episode,” Nic continued. “We got to this spot only to find some really nice walls in the morning with no one out. Swell picked up during the day and we went for a second session and to our surprise it was even better: barrels!”