Probably your best bet is to buy a decent surf guide. They typically list all the good spots and how to get around.

CrefloDollar said...

Hi All

Im heading to Bali at the end of May, and yes i know im probably the only aussie surfer not to have been there yet.

I know heaps of people that haven't been there. They are missing out big time!

Im staying at Seminyak(Spelling??)

Seminyak has good beachies, as does the whole Kuta stretch. The only problem with staying in Seminyak is that it's just that little bit further to get to the main breaks than if you were staying south of Kuta. The only tip I could give you with regards to staying in Seminyak is don't drive down Jl. Legian in the morning when you are trying to get to Uluwatu, etc. It gets ridiculously traffic jammed.

and im not to sure where to surf,

I've only been in August, when the trade winds are from the east. In an easterly, the west side of the island works, with Uluwatu being the last off-shore break before you get to the east side. I'm not sure what the winds are like in May.

on the culture

The culture is beautiful. The Balinese people are lovely. The food is awesome. Don't be like 90% of the Aussies there and eat hamburgers every night at an Australian bar. Eat whatever you see the locals eating, the street stalls have all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff. If there was no surf in Indonesia, I'd still go there just for the food. Yum!

If you get a chance, get 8 or so people together and order a suckling pig. It's called "Babi Guling". You might need to ask around to find somewhere that does it.

or anything that may be be of importance and so any advice would be appreciated.

Hire a car. And don't forget to get your international drivers license from RAC. Expect to pay about $30/day for a good condition Toyota Kijang (Same as a Kleuger in Oz). They will probably ask for double that when you go to hire it, so barter them down.
Don't have anything to do with drugs.
Don't even do anything even mildly illegal, like speeding or whatever. The cops are totally corrupt and will take any chance they get to screw you out of some money.
Learn a bit of Indonesian so you can order food from the non-touristy places where they don't speak English and so you can ask for directions. It also makes you look like not a complete knob, expecting everyone to speak your language.
Don't drink the tap water. It has sewerage in it.
The fruit is fine to eat, despite what other tourists might tell you.

And have fun. I am so jealous.

www.baliwaves.com

I will be in bali on the 5th june cant wait.
It will be my first time to bali aswel but have been to indo before.

Was there last May and it was awesome. Off shore winds on the Western side (Kuta) If you can definitely stay South of Kuta. I stayed in Tuban and it was great. All main reef breaks are south of Kuta so it saves the hassle. Seminyak,Kuta and Tuban are all the same place just a long strip of different suburbs (bit like the Goldy).

The reefs off Kuta are great but can be very crowded. Kuta reef and Airport Left are great. Can get a boat out for about $5 and will drop you off and be back in hour/two/seven hours whatever you tell them. If you go to the beach behind the Ramada resort at Tuban, their is a family of fisherman there who run the boat out to the reef all day. Best to find a boat and stick with them for the best deal. We would surf Airport or Kuta Reef at dawn, have a feed and jump on the Mopeds and head South to other breaks for rest of day.

If you can ride a motorbike, hire mopeds. The majority have surfboard racks. We hired brand new (60km on clock) for $6 per day for 9 days straight. Cost nothing for fuel (which you buy in Absolut vodka bottles for about $1 for 750ml bottle on the side of the road. Only saw 2 servos in 10 days). MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN AUSSIE BIKE LICENCE - dont hire without one. The traffic cops over there are ruthless. They jumped us on the way to Uluwata when they saw tourists. Spoke to a aussie whilst over there who had to pay a $150 (aus) bribe or Court in Denpasar the next day. Apparently the Court fines are massive. If you want to hire bikes -find the Discovery Plaza in Tuban (big mall like a westfield) Keep walking south on same side of road for about 300 metres and you'll see a motorbike hire place there. Ask for "Munn" a little jockey sized guy , he will fix you right up.

If you want a day trip and dont mind a big slower wave, heading up the North Western tip to Medewi. Its a great ride (about 2hrs) You can ride through Changu or do what we did and ride through Denpasar (what a spinout) No traffic rules so be careful or you'll be under a big diesel belching truck before you know it.

Get in touch with Slim from Baliwaves.com. He runs a guest house somewhere down in Tuban. Even if you have accomodation worked out he will put you into the good spots, Dreamlands, Ulu etc.

Get yourself a really good first aid kit, specifically for coral related injuries LOL -and some booties

I love it and want to move there. Be careful, Bali is addictive