Going to Bali is a must, whether you are a surfer or just a traveller. But for a surfer, it’s best to find out when is the right time to surf in Bali so you can schedule your trips much better. We’ll help you decide on this article.
First thing is, you need to know how to bring or ship your surfboards to Bali. You can check read our guide on the airline charges on surfboards.
But first before packing up your surf equipment, here are 25 insider tips for your trip to Bali & beginners surfing tips about the local’s tradition in which you are going to!
There is always wave with relatively warm temperatures that you can ride all year round in Bali. However, you might be wondering about the right time to surf in Bali since, in order to get the best surfing experience, you will need to consider the weather as well as the spots for surfing.
Surf Seasons in Bali
Indonesia, as the country where Bali is situated, has two seasons along the year, which are dry and wet or rainy season. The dry season happens from April to October while the wet season is from October to April.
Most of the time, more tourists are coming during the dry season between May to October since the waves are great and there are many outdoor activities that can be done to explore Bali. This makes the wet season is commonly cheaper and less crowded.
Bali Dry Season
The reason why Bali is more crowded on the dry season is because of the nice weather offered by the island. Your journey in the Island of Gods will be wonderful since you will be accompanied by blue sky, sunshine, and offshore winds on the west coast.
Apparently, this is also the reason why the peak of surf season in Bali happens from April to October since they are the driest months in Bali when typically big and clean swells are coming constantly.
The best time suggested during the dry season is between May to September when the offshore wind is in its best condition. If you are an experienced surfer, it is the best time for you to challenge the most popular reefs. If you are a beginner, there are also surf spots in Bali for beginners available for your level.
The best spots that you can take to surf Bali during the dry season are the west coast where the weather and the swells are creating a perfect combo for your best surfing experience.
There is a list of beaches that you can surf on the west coast, including Airports Beach, Berawa Beach, Medewi Beach, Echo Beach, Old Mans, and some surf spots in Bukit Peninsula area.
Bali Wet Season
Well, you now know that the peak of the surf season in Bali is during the dry season. But, if you want to surf in Bali, you might also want to consider the crowd during the dry season itself since the beaches will be full of the crowds lining up to claim a wave to ride.
Surfing in Bali during the wet season might not appear like a good idea at first, but it is actually not a bad idea either since you can still find beaches with great swells to ride. Note that waves are available throughout the year in Bali.
The wind patterns are changing during the wet season, making it best to surf on the east coast during the wet season since it offers better conditions with offshore winds. And even though the monsoonal downpours occur daily, they only occur for a few hours and after that, you can still enjoy great surfing.
It is best to surf on the east coast between November to March and one of the beaches that you can surf is Keramas Beach that offers great waves and is popular for surfing during the wet season. Other beaches are Green Bowl, Sanur, and Serangan.
Surfing during the wet season will give you more space to ride the waves on your own but might not give you the best temperature that you want. However, if you are a right-hander surfer, surfing in the wet season can offer you a joyful experience since the offshore winds are on the east coast of Bali.
So, when is the right time to surf in Bali?
This kind of question of when is the right to surf in Bali will always ends on depend. Depends on what you are looking for, what your budget, and what you prefer while surfing.
The explanation above can give you clear insights on what you can get whether on Dry Season or Wet Season. Even tho’ right now the big problem surfers often complain is the beaches are “too crowded”.
If you wish to surf the most popular surf spots in Bali like Padang Padang and Uluwatu in Bukit Peninsula, then you should surf in the dry season between April to October.
If you are fine surfing another surf spot that could still provide you with great waves plus less crowded space and cheaper costs than you can go to the east coast in the wet season between October to April.
Websites for Weather Forecast in Bali
Even though you now know about the seasons in Bali and how they most likely are, the weather can sometimes be so unpredictable, considering the geographical location of Bali, Indonesia.
If you are unsure whether or not the day is the right time to surf in Bali, you can check some surf forecast websites that provide information about the current weather in Bali.
You can check it on Bali.com or on World Weather Online, Surf-Forecast, and Accuuweather.com by typing the location of the beach that you are going to surf.
