Best Longboard Surf Spots in Bali

Longboarding in Bali…..something that often gets overlooked due to the heavy focus on shortboard waves and barrels. Whilst Bali is of course extremely popular for its world class shortboard waves, there is some magic to be had on a longboard at various spots around the island. From sand bottom beach breaks to high quality reefs and point breaks, there is plenty of variety. We have shared below some of the best spots to Longboard during your surf trip to Bali. There are of course a few secret / less well known spots, but we won’t be mentioning them here - better to do some good old fashioned exploring if you wish to seek a few hidden gems……

Batu Balong

Batu Balong - it’s likely that you’ve heard of this spot, and for good reason. It has fast become one of the most popular waves in Bali for beginners and avid longboarders alike. Despite being known as the spot for beginners, Batu Balong is a high quality longboard wave that offers long rides with a variety of sections for performing noserides and plenty of turns. 

Batu Balong is a friendly reefbreak and has both left and right peaks, however the left is more favored due to its consistency and length. Rides here can peel for over 100m, offering a long and cruisy ride on the log. Lower tide offers steeper conditions, which can favour noseriding, whereas high tide is much more mellow and fat. Usually the best conditions can be found around mid tide depending on the swell, offering a nice mixture of steep sections and bowly shoulders to perform both noserides and classic turns. You will likely see a few of the local talented longboarders here making things look effortless on a classic longboard. 

Batu Balong is located out the front of The Lawn / Times beach Warung. Directly out the front of here you can paddle out in the northern side channel of Batu Balong. This channel is the best option for paddling out especially when it's big. You can also access Batu Balong from the big carpark down at Old Mans bar, which will have you on the southern side of the break. Here there is also a channel to paddle out at, although much less defined than the northern side channel. You can find plenty of surf instructors at Batu Balong if you are a beginner, and there is ample parking around the area. Due to its popularity, Batu Balong attracts a big crowd most days, so be aware and safe whilst navigating the crowds on super busy days. 

Batu Balong favors a S-SW swell and N-NE winds. In the dry season when the trades are up, the best bet is surfing early before its too windy. Shoulder seasons offer extremely glassy conditions often lasting well into the day. Batu Balong can handle a fair amount of swell, so on big days you may want to swap out the longboard for a midlenth or fish. 

Below, a few framegrabs of Augusto Olinto riding a 9’6” Fluid Drive at Batu Balong.

Old Mans

Old Mans is situated on the same stretch of beach as Batu Balong, slightly to the north. It is situated just to the left of Commo Beach Club (if standing facing out to the ocean), and can be accessed via a channel that leads to  the right hander of the peak. Like it’s neighbour Batu Balong, Old Mans is a friendly reefbreak that offers both left and rights, with the left being the more favourible ride in terms of length. 

Old Mans delivers nice long walls with some excellent noseride sections. This spot can handle a lot of swell, and on big days the left holds up really well, offering long steep walls and even a heavy barrel on the end section at lower tides. Of course, on these bigger days you may wish to surf a smaller board, however on small and medium swells this spot is great for the longboard. Confident and experienced longboarders will also enjoy the conditions when its big, as you may end up scoring a super steep and critical noseride. The wave tends to peel quite consistently here, with less fat sections than Batu Balong. 

Old Mans favours the same swell and wind directions as Batu Balong, and has a similar crowd factor. Surf schools tend to flood the line up in the morning, but some days you can score a surprisingly empty session here. The wave also tends to shift a bit along the reef, which breaks up the crowd a bit and offers gems to those paying attention to what the sets are doing. 

Kuta 

Kuta, Bali………What can we say! The original surf mecca of Bali. Over the past decades Kuta rose as the surfing hub of Bali, and is now a tourist heavy holiday destination with plenty of bars, parties and shopping. In terms of surfing, Kuta is one of the best places for beginners due to the often mellow conditions breaking onto sand. Despite being renowned as the beginner spot of Bali, Kuta has high quality sand banks that offer some exceptional longboarding conditions. 

Kuta beach is a long stretch with plenty of sand banks that often shift and change like most beach breaks, however some banks are more defined than others. On low tide, Kuta tends to close out, and on a mid to high tide can offer perfect peeling longboard waves with a steep pocket for critical noserides. Both left and right peaks can be found at Kuta, with different peaks lighting up in certain conditions. On larger swells, Kuta doesn't favour the longboard, however is really fun on small and medium days. Kuta Reef protects the beach a fair bit from big swell, and so surfing conditions are usually consistent at Kuta. 

Crowds can of course be an issue in Kuta, however due to being such a long stretch, its possible to hunt around for an elusive perfect little peak without the large crowds and surf schools engulfing it. There is plenty of parking all the way along the beach on the roadside.

In terms of wind, Kuta favors SE-NE, meaning it is offshore in the dry season trade winds. A good option for hunting a longboard wave when conditions are too windy in Canggu.

Below, Ross Williams surfs a 9’8” Resolution at Kuta Beach, Bali.

Medewi

Medewi is an incredibly long wave located much further north than busy Canggu, taking around 1.5-2 hours drive from Canggu depending on traffic. The wave is a mellow boulder bottom point break, offering long peeling left handers to all types of surfers. For the avid longboarder, Medewi is an absolute dream on its day. Waves here can peel for over 300m, with various sections to perform both noserides and turns. 

Medewi breaks in pretty much any swell that's thrown at it. On small days you can expect perfect little knee high peelers for the longboard, and on big swells the wave holds well with long rolling walls that is still manageable on a longboard for those with enough experience and skill. Paddling out at Medewi can be a bit tricky for those who do not know where to enter. The rock boulders lining the shore are difficult to walk over and can easily cut your feet due to sharp barnacles on the rocks. There is a keyhole to the left of the point that you can paddle out at - here the sand covers a lot of the bottom, but there are still some big boulders to be aware of. Paddling out here will bring you straight out to the peak. Alternatively you can paddle out way down the beach to the right of the break, which is sandy and easy to navigate, however the paddle is much longer.

Medewi favours E-NE winds and S-SW swells. Early mornings often provide glassy postcard conditions, and a late afternoon glass off under a setting sun is also often on the cards. Tide wise, the point break is best on higher tides, where the waves break more perfectly along the point. It still works on lower tides, but the wave can be a little less well formed and not as long as on a higher tide. On lower tides, be aware of boulders sticking out of the water, which can sneak up on you if you get a bit too greedy on the end section. 

Balangan

A white sandy beach engulfed by green cliffs at each end, Balangan is a beautiful spot to surf. The wave is a lefthander breaking over reef that has 3 distinct sections. When the swell is big, all three sections can link up to offer extremely long and fast rides, not optimal at all for a longboard. However, when the swell is small, Balangan offers fun peeling left handers, offering some nice steep sections for noserides. 

For optimal longboard conditions, higher tides are more favorable as the lower tide results in exposed reef and much faster waves that often closes out. Balangan is offshore in the SE trade winds, and so is a great option for surfing in dry season. Swell wise, the wave breaks in most directions, however a South swell often produces more lined up waves with less sections closing out.

To paddle out at Balangan, proceed to the headland with an overhang at the top end of the reef where the wave first breaks. At higher tide you can paddle straight out, and on lower tides will have to walk over some reef. Try to time the paddle out without any big sets arriving, but for longboarding small conditions, this shouldn't be too much of a worry. Be aware of the exposed reef when paddling back in on lower tides. There is plenty of parking along the beach behind the beach warungs, which provide a good place to chill and sip a coconut in between surfs.

Serangan

When wet season kicks in and the winds are howling onshore on the West Coast, Serangan is one of the best places to head to score offshore longboard waves on the East Coast. The waves at Serangan break over an expansive coral reef, with a few different spots to choose from. The main peak can be fairly shifty with lefts and rights coming in at varying sections along the reef, which makes it manageable in a crowd as people can spread out a bit more. The main peak is more favorable on a shorter board due to its punchier shape, and can hold some solid size. Just across from the main peak to the north is a wave more suited to longboarding. It has a great bowly shape offering some fun noseride sections, and once again breaks left and right, however the left is higher in quality. This wave is often much less crowded than the main peak, but can attract a few surf schools when its small. The boats that take you out to Serangan sits in the channel between the two different waves and its easy to check the waves from the boat and decide where to surf.

Serangan works in most swell directions and is offshore in North to West winds, meaning its best in the wet season. You can surf on all tides here, but a mid pushing up to high may offer more lined up waves for good longboarding conditions. To get to Serangan, you now need to take a boat out from the Serangan Harbour area. Boats are pretty much available all day and will take you out to whichever spot you like, wait for you whilst you surf, and then bring you back after your surf. 

Another spot near to Serangan is Baby Reef, which is also accessed by boat from the same harbour. This wave is an outer reef closer to the harbour than Seragan, situated across the water near to Mertasari Beach. This is a fantastic little wave, and is usually a fair bit smaller than Serangan. Waves here break left over a stretch of reef. Low tide here is very shallow, and so favours a higher tide. If you’re lucky, you can score some nice empty peeling left handers here whilst everyone else surfs at the main peaks of Serangan.