Surfing Spot - Balian - Bali - Indonesia

Surfing Spot - Balian - Bali - Indonesia

Balian is not a major surf destination spot in Bali for most surfers. The waves at Balian are not the ultraperfect green barrels that most surfers come to Bali for. However, Balian is a great surf get away in Bali. Contrasted to the Bukit, Balian is lush, with ricefields, rivers, and lots of coconut trees. There's a black sand beach, and it is generally a very mellow place to chill out for a few days. Balian is also a swell magnet. This is a place that will have decent surf when everywhere else is flat. The tradewinds blow sideshore here, and the rainy season westerlies blow onshore. Balian is a place for early morning surfing and the potential for a late afternoon glass of session.

The wave at Balian is a rivermouth beach and rock break that offers up very rippable shifting A-frame peaks. Usually the lefts are better than the rights, and both can show an inside barrel section when it all comes together. Balian is not a place to go when there is a big swell running. It will be impossible to paddle out and the currents will become dangerous. If a big swell is running most surfers will continue west another half an hour to Medewi.

 To get to Balian: Balian is about one and a half hours from Kuta. Leaving Kuta, follow the Krobokan Rd, past the Canggu turn off and continue straight. This road will eventually connect with the major West to East highway. Follow the signs for Gilimanuk. The coast will be in sight much of the way, and keep your eyes peeled to see if any of the assorted peaks on the way are worth investigating. You will see signs

Best Tide:	Mid-High
Best Swell Direction:	S, SW, W
Best Size:	2-5ft
Best Wind:	N, NW are offshore, Glassy mornings.
Perfect-O-Meter:	3-7 - Balian is a rippable A Frame that offers both lefts and rights. (1=Lake Erie; 10=Jeffreys Bay)
Bottom:	Stones, Rock
Ability Level:	Beginner-Expert
Bring Your:	5'8" Fish, 6'4" swallowtail
Best Season:	April-Oct
Crowd Factor:	low-Depends on how many people decide to make the drive from Kuta on any given day.
Access:	Easy
Local Vibe:	Good
Bicep Burn:	3-8 (1=1ft Waikiki; 10=15ft Ocean Beach)
Poo Patrol:	4-9. Balian is a rivermouth break. As such there is often sewage run off. This can be particularly bad during the first rains of the year and should probably be avoided at that time. (1=clean; 10=turds in the lineup) (1=clean; 10=turds in the lineup)
Shark Danger:	4-8 Caution (1=none; 10=bring an iron cage)

Surf Wax Techniques & Maintenance

Before hitting the waves, take a look at our surf wax infographic to know exactly what you  need to do for perfect upkeep of your board.

Surf wax is a simple enough petroleum product with a storied past. In the early days of the  sport, surfers used to paint their boards with varnish and scatter sand across the surface to ensure they wouldn’t slip off. This gritty solution was imperfect and painful, leading to an epidemic of wipeouts and board burns. An improvement came by accident in 1935 when L.A. surfer Alfred Gallant Jr. walked through a recently waxed wood floor and found he stuck better than ever to his board. Surfing would never be the same.

Today, surfers wax their boards with two layers of surf wax: base coat and top coat. The base coat glues the board to the top coat, and the top coat glues the rider to the board. Top coat is considerably softer than base coat. It’s made to melt around a rider’s foot and stick into the contours of his or her skin.

If a top coat is too soft for the conditions, however, it will begin to degrade. For this reason, top coat surf wax comes in four flavors of hardness: cold, cool, warm, and tropical. Use cold water wax if you’re surfing off the coast of Oregon. Use tropical if you’re surfing in French Polynesia. Pick the right surf wax and properly maintain your board, and you’ll stay stuck to waves better and longer than the next guy in the water. Every edge counts. If you liked the infographic please feel free to share. DO: MORE by being properly prepared.

The effects of surfboard design in wave performance

Surfboard design is all about fluid dynamics, not color, look or style. When you’re buying a surfboard you’re choosing the plank that will suit you best. You’re interested in getting a very good surfboard for your level of experience and /or for a determined type of wave.


The flow of water is the science behind surfboard shaping and manufacturing. When shapers design their models, they often know what they’re doing. There areseveral variables which take part in the “construction” of a good surfboard model. The type of blank that is used, the quality of the fiberglass and resins, the knowledge of the shaper are very important issues, but there’s more. Surfboard design also involves the outline. The overall design of the board has profound impact of the wave riding performance. A rounder template will force you to longer curves and more laid-back surf.

Width and length are very important issues. You have to choose between 18’’ and 24 inches of width. Wider boards offer more fluctuation and are the perfect choice for very small fat waves. With narrower surfboards you can test you take-off skills in deep, hollow waves. If you have trouble catching waves, you will probably need a longer surfboard. On the other hand, you’ll find it harder to turn than if you were surfing with a shorter board. Surfboard thickness is also relevant in wave riding performance.
Normally, the thickness point is in the middle area of the surfboard but, in some cases, it can be hold through the tail and rocker. When the thickness level is almost even, it will help balance both feet, as you change positions throughout each ride. That is to stay a well distributed surfboard thickness helps you maintain control, despite constant weight changes on the blank. Rocker is considered the most important feature in a surfboard, by many shapers.

When viewed from side, the rocker is the curve of the surfboard from tail to nose. The surfboard rocker is subdivided into nose rocker, center and tail rocker. When it comes to analyzing surfboard rocker, there are a few logical commandments. The more rocker a surfboard has, the looser and slower it will be. Plain and flat rocker delivers faster wave performances and surfing maneuvers will be harder to pull - it works very well in small wave boards.
Surfboard bottom contours are also important in surfing. Concave and V-shaped contours have similar performances, despite opposite designs. A concave surface - or channel-type contour - will help your tail respond faster and easier to rapid turns. The Vee model helps you carve easily. A flatcontour is difficult to control at high speed. Tail designs are usually very discussed in modern surfboard shaping. Pin tail is great for big waves because there is less board in water contact and more speed is achieved.

The rounded pin tail, round tail, squash tail and rounded tail are very common because they hold the surfboard quite well in all-round surf conditions. The squash tail sits in the middle term.
Sharper edges, like the square tail, are more responsive to rad turns. Swallow tails help your paddling power and are easier to control in small waves.
Surfboard fins are part of the entire hydrodynamic performance, but are an external feature. You can learn more about the importance of fin setups (single fin, twin fin, thruster and quad).