Big rolling waves at Balangan with less crowd

Balangan May 28 2024;

Anyone that has surfed in Bali knows the dilemma; where to surf during a swell on the Bukit. Uluwatu is consistent; consistently breaking and consistently crowded. Padang, if big enough to break, has a group of locals dominating the peak as well as other high skilled surfers taking most if not all the waves. Impossible's can be good or often times, simply "impossible" to make. Bingin's is a great left but also has a tight take off zone an aggressive crowd preventing the average surfer from getting a significant wave count on many days. Dreamland's can be breaking, but it is hit or miss. Balangan is less consistent than Uluwatu, isn't always good, lacks the perfection and barrels of Padang and Bingin's BUT usually there is less crowd, and if you can figure out the line up, more waves.

On this day, Uluwatu was forecasted to be 10-15 feet. Padang 6-8 feet. We filmed Padang earlier in the day then jumped over to Balangan at high tide. Padang was better but everyone knew it and was out in the lineup. At Balangan, the crowd wasn't the factor, it was a disjointed lineup, waves shifting, and surfers had to dodge set waves to find a ridable wave. Below is the link to Padang, compare conditions and size of Balangan to Padang. Which do you prefer?

   • Padang Padang tests the barrel riding skil...