Ever since I started surfing at 13 years old, I have dreamed of surfing the big waves in Bali. Watching surfers like Kelly Slater, Bethany Hamilton and Silvana Lima ripping on the perfect waves, I could not deny the envy I felt for their lives. Big, easy waves curling into the most beautiful barrels; shredding over the clearest water while watching stunning reefs flow underneath my board. What is there not to dream about?
My dream became reachable when I decided in January 2015 to move abroad to Thailand to teach young children English. I thought to myself “Hell yes! It will be so easy to plan a surf trip to Bali!” Duhh!! Well… It took 11 months in Thailand, 2 planned trips failing, and my mom flying halfway across the world to South East Asia for me to finally make it to Bali. When we first arrived at Rapture Bali Surf Camp we really had no idea what to expect of it all. Questions running through our head: What will the surf be like? Do they have longboards? What sort of people will we meet? What is Balinese food going to taste like? We were greeted by a nonchalant French receptionist, Paul, who showed us our room and around the grounds of our rustic and homey camp. Dying to get out into the water (it was only 1pm) we inquired about the afternoon surf sessions only to be let down when Paul informed us that both sessions for the day had already set out. Oh well, we would just have to wait.
We left bright and early the next day (7am) for our first Bali surf session at Geger left break. Neil, our wanderlust surf guide from England, loaded up the surf mobile with our boards and we set out for our first Bali surf! A few things to mention before I dive into our full day: first, I’d never surfed a reef break before and the whole thought of it was a bit daunting, and second, I hadn’t been surfing in over a year so I was very out of practice. To say the least, I was a tad nervous about jumping right back in to the big waves of Bali. Luckily for me, February is not peak surf season in Bali so the waves were not more than overhead and the breaks were never overcrowded. If careful, the reefs are not to be scared of but to be cautious of.
Katie, the happy-go-lucky surfing yogi from England, joined us for the next few days surfing Geger left, Green Bowls, and Shippies Breaks. The weather was brilliant, if a bit scorching. The waves were perfect small rollers with enough, but not too much, power behind them. The view was breathtaking. Neil, Katie, my Mom and I went out twice a day to some of the best waves I’ve surfed in my life.
My favorite break during our 4 days in Bali was Shippies, but boy did you have to work for it. Nearly the whole camp joined us for our trek. As we all looked out over the break, which was down what must have been nearly a half mile cliff, I thought in the back of my mind: “Is it going to be worth carrying my surfboard down this rugged, switchback, deer trail, and then back up?!” It most certainly was! While I wasn’t riding any barrels, I was finally able to cruise onto some glassy right breaks. Both Geiger and Green bowl are primarily left breaks and, being regular, I had been riding back side most of the weekend.
While I wasn’t catching every wave and had a few close wipeouts, I gained so much confidence in my surfing abilities by getting out into the bigger waves and just going for it! Dropping down the face of these Balinese swells was exhilarating. And my exuberance continued to soar as I cut back up to the top of the peak to cruise with my hand brushing the warm water beside me and looking back towards the beach where lush green jungle climbed up the cliff I had previously been looking down from.
What made the day even better was the fact that everyone, beginners and advanced surfers were all catching sweet rides! My mom, however, KILLED IT! Being the only longboarder (I was riding a 7'8" fun board) and the oldest surfer present, she was unstoppable. Her grace and style unmatched by anyone there. After 2 hours of surfing at Shippies and half of the crew resting on shore, Medelise was still out there catching wave after wave. The wave of the day: a beautiful 20-second long left rolled through will my mom hanging ten like it was a walk in the park. Everyone on shore cheered and quickly headed back into the break with the hope of catching a wave that could match the awesomeness of that one.
As if the 3-hour long surf session at Shippies hadn’t been enough, we were all exhausted and famished after the trek back up the cliff. We all piled into the vans and headed back to camp. Obviously a huge meal from Mattie was in order and I couldn’t resist a dip in the cool water of the pool. This was then followed by reading-turned-nap on the cozy cushions of the poolside bungalow. Life was like paradise. I never wanted to leave Padang Padang and the Rapture family I had created.
To end with a bang on Sunday night, our hosts, Maggie and Josh, held a massive barbecue featuring fresh tuna, rotisserie chicken, salad, fruit, garlic bread, and great company. Everyone from Rapture Padang and Rapture Cliff came together that night and feasted! Some of us sat at the long dinner table, others with their feet in the pool, most of us circled up in the bean bag chairs (once they sucked you in, you never wanted to leave). There was talk of surf and waves and boards, talk of travel and life, talk of future plans and dreams of returning to this paradise.