Surf Spots in Bali

Keramas is the East Coast's premier performance wave, right in front of Komune Resort. A fast right-hand barrel over a volcanic reef, a WSL contest venue and a spot for floodlit night surfing. The lineup sits very close to shore, with the paddle-out through a channel on the north side — but it's a serious wave: pros and strong locals ride here, and the reef doesn't forgive mistakes.

Uluwatu is Bali's most famous surf spot, sitting on the southwestern tip of the Bukit Peninsula. It isn't a single break but a whole string of waves: The Peak, Racetrack, Inside Corner, Outside Corner, Temples and The Bombie.

Airport Right is a right-hand reef break at the southern end of the Ngurah Rai Airport runway, on the Jimbaran side. You have to reach the spot by boat. On small days it's a long, easy right-hander. But on a decent swell Airport Right turns into a fast, powerful barrel that's rated one of the best rights on Bali's west coast.

Impossibles is a long left reef break on the Bukit Peninsula. The spot is very sensitive to swell direction and to wind.

Echo Beach is one of Canggu's main surf spots. A fast left-hander, the Echo Reef break with barrels. The lineup is close to shore, and it's always crowded.

Kuta Reef is a classic left-hand reef break about a kilometre off Kuta beach. The softest of the four reef breaks in the cluster (Second, Middles, Airport), boat access only from Jerman Beach. In good conditions — long rides up to 200 metres.

Balangan is a reef break on the Bukit Peninsula with a fairly fast left. The reef runs from the cliff along the whole beach and splits into three sections that, on a good swell and the right tide, line up into one long ride.

Baby Reef is a gentle reef break 700 metres off the Sanur shore. Sheltered by outer reefs, the swell is filtered down to small, manageable waves. One of the best spots for longboarders and for stepping up from whitewater to green waves.

Bali Soul is one of the main learner spots in Nusa Dua for the wet season. It also goes by Cook Point or the Russian Spot, and on Windy it's marked as Little Moscow. A pretty, comfortable beach with great infrastructure: board and gear rental from Gusti, a local, plenty of cafés and easy parking. Getting in is straightforward, and you can also jump carefully off the rock straight onto the spot — plenty of people do.

Jimbaran is a beach break in a sheltered bay at the foot of the Bukit Peninsula. Flat most of the year, but on a big swell it's a handy, safe spot for beginners.

Honeymoon (a.k.a. Jump Off) is a left-hand point break on the western edge of Jimbaran Bay. One of the few true point breaks in Bali. People come here when a big swell of 10 ft and up arrives and Balangan, Impossibles and Uluwatu are too big and too scary — inside the bay the wave will be half the size. But the spot also works on a medium swell — the wave will be smaller, but so will the crowd.

Sanur is one of Bali's most legendary and fickle waves. A right-hand reef break on the East Coast that only fires on a powerful wet-season swell. When the conditions line up, it's a long, powerful right with barrelling sections over ultra-sharp live coral. Rated one of the fastest, hollowest barrels in Indonesia. But those days are rare, and when Sanur switches on, the island's best surfers gather in the lineup. Besides the main reef, the Sanur area has several spots of varying levels: Sindhu, Tanjung Sari, Hyatt Reef — all reef breaks, mostly for experienced surfers.

Dreamland is the only true beach break on the Bukit. Sandy bottom in the lineup, with reef and rocks only right by the shore. The spot doesn't work every day — you need a swell and a low tide.

Green Ball (also known as Green Bowl) is a reef break on the southern shore of the Bukit Peninsula, very exposed to swell. A staircase of about 330 steps leads down to the beach, so it's usually not crowded.

Mushroom Rock is a fast right in the Nusa Dua area, one of the most powerful waves on this stretch of reef. On a good swell it barrels straight off the take-off and on down the line. The spot is dangerous — people often get scraped on the reef and break boards. It's a place for surfers who are confident on fast rights. It picks up less swell on average than Geger and the neighbouring spots.