Middles (Middle Reef) is a left-hand reef break between Kuta Reef and Airport Left. It catches more swell than the neighbouring spots and is often less crowded — a good option when Kuta Reef is too packed. You need a boat to reach the spot, though at dead low tide you can paddle out from the beach. The lineup is about 500 metres offshore.
The wave & conditions
Middles is a low-tide break that works on a lower tide than any of the other reefs in the cluster. At mid tide it only breaks on a big swell. It handles wind better than the rest of the Airport Reefs — the exposed reef in front of the wave breaks up the chop. The wave splits into three distinct sections: the first is fast, sometimes hollow; the second is slower, with good walls for cutbacks; the third is fast again, with a barrelling section. After the third section the wave closes out on the reef — you need to get out in time. The peak is more predictable than at Airport Left — it shifts around less.
Conditions & tips
Middles is popular with expats and can be surprisingly empty — sometimes the whole lineup goes to a single surfer. There's no channel nearby, so you do more paddling and duck-diving than at the neighbouring spots. The bottom is coral reef, shallow at low tide. On a big swell a strong current switches on by the rock — getting caught in it is dangerous. If you lose your board, without a boat nearby you're in for a long wait — it's 500 metres of open water to shore. A boat from Kuta or Jimbaran costs the standard 100,000 rupiah and up. The best time is early morning in the dry season.
Hazards: shallow reef at low tide, a closeout at the end of the wave, no channel
