Surfing Uluwatu

Left Reef · Best May-Sep · 2-10 ft · Crowd 5/5

SW swell, SE offshore wind, mid tide

Uluwatu is really several waves along one reef. Temples is up the point and has the longest walls and the smallest crowd. The Peak, in front of the cave, is hollow, shifty and always busy. Racetracks, further down, gets fast and shallow at low tide. On big swells Outside Corner and the Bombie start breaking and hold 10ft and more.

You paddle out through the cave between sets and come back in the same way. Miss the cave on the way in and the current can take you a long way toward Padang Padang. Mid tide suits most people; low tide Racetracks is for experts only. Take a step-up above 6ft and booties if you want to keep your feet in one piece.

On a good day there can be over 100 people out. Dawn and the last hour of light are the quietest times. Locals run the inside, so give them room.

Left Reef · Best Jun-Aug · 4-12 ft · Crowd 5/5

Big SW swell (+6ft), SE wind, mid tide, rising

Padang Padang needs a solid SW swell of 6ft or more before it breaks properly, which in most seasons means a dozen days or so. When it does, it is a thick left barrel over a shallow lava reef, and the reason the Rip Curl Cup is held here.

Rides are short. You take a steep drop, pull in almost straight away and come out in front of the cliff, where a crowd usually gathers to watch. If you blow the takeoff the reef is very close.

It is for experienced tube riders only. On the days the main wave isn't breaking, Baby Padang on the inside is a softer left over deeper reef. Mid tide on the push is best. Take your barrel board, maybe a little bigger than normal.

Left Reef · Best May-Sep · 2-6 ft · Crowd 4/5

SW swell, SE offshore wind

Bingin is a short left that barrels almost the same way every time: steep drop, quick throw, a few seconds in the tube and out onto the shoulder. It is one of the better places to practise getting barrelled.

It works best at mid tide on 3-5ft of SW swell with the SE trades blowing. At low tide the reef gets very shallow and it's for experts only. The takeoff area is tiny, so 30 people can feel like 100. Early morning and the evening glass-off are the quietest times.

The warungs on the cliff look straight down on the lineup, and a few nights in one of the cliff houses lets you surf it two or three times a day. A normal shortboard is fine.

Left & Right Reef · Best May-Sep · 3-10 ft · Crowd 2/5

SW/S swell, SE offshore wind, low tide

Dreamland is a reef and sand peak at the bottom of a white-sand bay, with rights toward the cliff and longer lefts toward the channel. It's softer than most Bukit waves, which makes it a good next step for intermediates.

On bigger SW swells the outside peak can reach 8-10ft and the sets swing wide, so watch for a while before paddling out. Mornings with the SE trades are clean; by midday the wind is usually on it.

It's the easiest beach access in the area, down some stairs onto the sand, so surf schools use the inside and it works well if you're with people who don't surf. The shore break on the inside sandbar breaks a lot of boards. Standard shortboard, step-up above 6ft.

Left Reef · Best May-Sep · 3-8 ft · Crowd 3/5

SW swell, SE trades offshore, mid to high tide

Impossibles is a long reef between Padang Padang and Bingin with three takeoff spots. On the right swell and tide they link into one very fast left, and most rides end after a section or two because the wave outruns you.

Mid to high tide is best. At low tide it gets shallow and breaks in sections. It picks up more swell than Bingin and the crowd spreads out across the peaks, so you often get more waves here than anywhere else on the Bukit. The middle peak is usually the easiest one to make.

It's a speed wave, so ride something that goes fast rather than something for big turns. Paddle out from the Padang channel and drift down, or from the gap in the reef at Bingin.

Left Reef · Best May-Sep · 2-8 ft · Crowd 3/5

SW swell, SE trades offshore

Balangan is a long left along a reef shelf in front of a white beach with warungs on stilts. It's one of the easier lefts on the Bukit, with walls you can do a few turns on and sometimes a small barrel on the inside at mid tide.

It's fun at 2ft, even on a longboard, and serious at 8ft, when it shifts and the current pulls toward the point. It works across more of the tide than its neighbours, though at dead low some rock shows near the takeoff. The SE trades blow offshore all dry season.

It's a good place to get used to reef before trying Bingin or Uluwatu, and there are fewer pros in the water. The warungs grill fish right by the paddle-out. A normal shortboard does the job, or a mid-length on small days.

Right Reef · Best Apr-Oct · 2-6 ft · Crowd 1/5

S swell, N-NE wind, mid tide

Nyang-Nyang is two kilometres east of Uluwatu, at the bottom of a cliff path with around 500 steps. The steps keep almost everyone away, so the lineup is usually a handful of people or nobody.

The main wave is a right over reef, with some shifting peaks on the sand along the beach. It's best on a south swell with light north wind or no wind in the morning, and works from about 2 to 6ft. It's not the best wave on the Bukit, but you'll often have it to yourself.

There's nothing at the bottom apart from a wide beach and an old shipwreck, so bring water, wax and sun cream, and keep some energy for the climb back up. The viewpoint on the cliff above is a good place for sunset.