Great swell in Bali right now
July is high season as far as the surfing community is concerned. At this time of year Bali gets mainly dry sunny days with little rain, decent swell coming from the SW and offshore winds on the western Bukit (Balangan, Dreamland, Bingin, Impossibles, Padang Padang, Uluwatu). This means surfers from all over the world can enjoy those breaks at their best. Today, July 10th 2007, the swell rating was very good (10.5ft @ 16secs) winds were a bit strong though at 19mph.
The guys at BaliWaves were all over it this morning and as they will tell you, the swell is dropping off for a week or so. MagicSeaweed has a good surf report for Uluwatu and other Bali breaks.
Newcomers to Bali might be interested to here that accommodation on the Bukit is plentiful with basic bamboo type rooms available at Bingin and Dreamland (a simple ‘crash bed’ sometimes being the only option on the beach at Padang Padang), or better quality stuff up on the cliff top, at most all of the breaks. Low-level surfers or people not used to reef breaks might like to start out at Dreamland, which is a beach break. Balangan might be your next choice with a comfortable long ride and sandy beach at high tide. Bingin, Impossibles, Padang Padang and Uluwatu are for experienced surfers.