New World Surf Record Set in Bali

In a rare spell of drop-in heaven rather than surf break hell, surfers in Bali have set a world record for the most people to ride a single wave.

Fifty-three surfers from Bali and as far afield as Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, France and Hawaii rode a wave at the popular "Halfway" break on Kuta Beach breaking the old world mark of 46 people set at Sydney's Manly Beach in May.

"It was a case of bodies and boards everywhere but everyone's pretty stoked" Quiksilver surfwear spokesman and attempt coordinator Simon MacGregor told AAP.

The new record was set in near-perfect conditions although less than half of the 128 people who registered for the attempt made it onto the wave at the same time.

"With everyone strung out right along the beach it was pretty hard to keep it all together" MacGregor said,

"There were a few close-out waves and then it was just a case of 'okay, everybody go'."

He said the new mark would be registered with the Guinness Book of Records. The attempt was organised to remind international audiences of Bali's legendary beaches and surf rather than recent terrorist bombings which have seen tourist numbers plummet.

Coordinated by the Quiksilver Boardriding School the record coincided with an international junior surfing contest known as the "King of the Groms" and was organised by Balinese surfers.

Tourist numbers to Bali have dropped dramatically since triple suicide bombings in Kuta and Jimbaran Bay last October which killed 20 innocent bystanders, among them four Australians.
Bali's second terror attack in three years also caused the collapse of budget airline Air Paradise which specialised in cut-price travel between Australia and the Island of the Gods.

The number of Australians visiting Indonesia has fallen by half this year as holidaymakers opt for breaks in Thailand and Malaysia instead. Indonesian government numbers show foreign tourist arrivals fell to 332,445 in May, down 3.33 per cent on the number a year earlier.

In Bali alone, arrivals fell to 107,678, down 12.26 per cent.