theme:water worlds, theme:active adventures, surf bali, surf school bali, bali surf school, bali surf lessons, bali surf trip, bali surf camp, pro surf school bali, pro surf school kuta, surf kuta, bali pro surf school, pro surf school 1 100 Fri Apr 17 15:19:35 +0000 2009 0 You can surf Bali all year round, but the peak season is during the dry season from April to October. During this time there are a lot of pro tours that come to the area which can cause crowds on some of the more popular surf spots, but provide great viewing. If you are going to learn how to surf, November through March might be an alternative to consider as it will be less busy, and although during this season the waves are smaller, they are still good for beginners. Beginners typically learn on waves that are between 1 and 2 meters. Keeping this in mind you can also consult a tide chart to see what the waves will be like in advance of your trip, to find out if they are suitable for your surfing level. Learning to Catch a Wave in Bali 215 -8.733333 115.166667 With the strong currents coming up from the Antarctic, the coasts of Bali are littered with surf spots good all year round. Kuta Beach in Bali is a great place to learn how to surf for many reasons, it has a nice sandy bottom which you will come to appreciate after about your fifth fall, its gradual slope allows you to walk out quite far remaining still only chest deep, and there are other intermediate surfers practicing close by, which can help you get your positioning and reads down if you are a beginner. The typical cost of an hour lesson ranges from $15 - $20 USD, with room for savings the more you book. If you have had previous experience surfing or boarding of some sort, then you will most likely only need a few short lessons and the rest from there on in is trial and error. If this is the case you will need to equip yourself with a board available for rent for about $3 - $5 USD per hour from surf schools or from guys on the beach. Be careful if you plan to rent a surf board from someone on the beach. Some of those boards are snapped and will snap again at some point, but this time you will be on the hook for the cost of a replacement. Learn to ride a wave at surf school when you travel to Bali Indonesia, a world renowned wave machine. Bali Surf School surf-bali Fri May 15 16:32:42 +0000 2009 <span class="quote">"...these guys guarantee you will be<br/>catching waves your very first week!"<br/></span> /images/sponsors/pro-surf-bali.png http://www.prosurfschool.com/ Visions of surfers riding gnarly waves fueled my excitement. Forgetting about my nerves I focused on acting the part of these bronzed beach gods, adapting my best laid back surfer attitude. I was in Bali, and I was going to learn how to surf! Bali is a world renowned surf destination in Indonesia offering a large selection of surf locations ranging from beginner spots like Kuta Beach and Sanur, to world class barreling reefbreaks such as Padang Padang and Uluwatu. Going to Bali and not trying to surf, is like going to Paris and not visiting the Louvre. It's unheard of! Shortly after our arrival we began to search out a well regarded surf school in Kuta beach. After some research we choose Pro Surf School, voted best surf school in Bali the past 3 consecutive years. Frank the owner having grown up surfing this very beach, was never too busy to chat with us, offering insight and encouragement, and even taught some of our classes. With no previous skate or snow board experience we opted for five lessons, which we would soon learn meant a ravage beating on our out of shape bodies, from some of the strongest waves we had ever maneuvered. Pounded, pulled, and pushed around, over the next five days we learned to become accustomed to the taste of salt water. On our first day of surf lessons Pro Surf School guaranteed us that we would stand, and sure enough they were right. After a classroom lesson and beach briefing, we entered the waters with our massive surfboards to attempt arching our backs and riding the waves in, and eventually standing. With guidance from our instructors and a well positioned push, we had done the unthinkable, we had caught a wave... or at least the white wash of one. The sense of accomplishment was so great, that we envisioned ourselves carving some heavies by the end of our five days. How naive. Over the course of the next four days we learned about how waves are created, which are good and bad, directions, winds, how to maneuver, some bad habits which seemed necessary in light of aching muscles, and of course the constant in the equation ... falling. Getting up became more and more frequent, but falling was still inevitable and daunting in the face of having to fight the current to get back out to wave territory. By the end of the week we had made great progress, but were still no Kelly Slater by any means. Surfing takes practice and a lot of patience in waiting for the right wave. I have great respect for those who get up everyday and surf, not only for their skill, but also for their ability to become one with the power of the Ocean. Taming the raw force of nature, dancing their boards gracefully along the swells. Mon Jul 13 21:44:51 +0000 2009 6 20 surf-bali 100 5