JULY 2007 GALUNGAN, KUNINGAN, CONSISTENT SWELLS, RAIN AND STRONG WINDS...

OM SWASTIASTU

This year the month of July has been really different from other years...we
had a bit of everything...at the beginning everything normal as in other seasons, Uluwatu as always held the best conditions on the smaller days with a strong crowd in the water...There was a nice party with traditional balineses dance at the house of the american Steve Levine owner of the Asu Paradise Surf Camp and of the Puri Uluwatu Villas at Uluwatu where some showed their talent on the traditional dance of Joget Bumbum...a lot of laughter and relaxation marked the festivities...soon after we had the biggest holiday on the hindu calendar here on Bali with the celebration of the Galungan and Kuningan that last 10 days where people from all over the island go to the Temples pray and visit relatives that live far...all the streets on the island were decorated and Bali receives again the traditional magic of its artistic people that turn the island into a unique place on the planet!!

During the holiday week we had some days of totally clouded sky with occasional heavy rain and really strong winds never before registered on this time of the year...The strong winds have been punishing the waves almost daily and besides the consistency of medium size swells the condition has been far from expectations. On the other hand on the days that everything gets back to normal is surfing show-time all day long with that heat and light offshore breeze typical of Bali and Indonesia...On one of those days of small waves and a lot of winds i took my brother Diogo that is here visiting the island for the first time on a trip to a remote and more protected spot on the island that i knew was with the perfect conditions...On this trip were Didi from Santinho, Everton, André Guri, me and my brother...we left early morning before the sunrise on a trip of almost 2 hours and sure enough...we surfed with only 6 other surfers in the water 5 feet long and perfect righthanders with a light offshore breeze
while at the same time dozens of other surfers were hassling over a 1 to 2
feet ripple at Uluwatu with a really strong wind on it; Afterwards we decided to go for another 8 hour drive to get to know the island's interior before making back to Uluwatu with that feeling of mission accomplished...
The rest is all normal...as always i have been really busy welcoming the Bali Surf Connection clients here on the area of Uluwatu and Kuta, organizing everything for their trips to perfect and hassle-free; also I've already met many friends and clients from other seasons...

Another news is a new beach that has been getting constructed beside the airport using sand from other beaches and is now common to see far on the Outside of Uluwatu a boat dragging another boat full of sand every morning really early. Also the area cleared at Uluwatu in front of the warungs is now getting covered by grass where on a near future there will be gardens and a wedding room besides the owner's new bungalow...very often the monkeys now kicked out form their land invade the parking lot and the warung on the cliff top beside the Blue Point Hotel and steal food and personal objects from the unaware tourists to change after for fruits thrown by the locals so the let go the stolen goods.good laugh guarantee for those who don't end up loosing something.

The high season of the dry months is starting on the island of the Gods, the swells even if not that big have been very consistent and while I am writing this article we finally had some days of light winds on the mornings...right the first day of light winds when an offshore perfect breeze was blowing all morning was the day after the arrival of my Hawaiian friend Rainos Hayes.on this day we surfed a 6 feet Outside Corner almost the way it should be.in the water good vibes all around the peak where amongst others were me, the local Made Lana, Hawaiians Rainos Hayes and David Cantrell, aussies Tony Gondri, Bryan and Eddie Blackwell and a few other surfers down the line.


The Bali Surf Connection leave here regards, welcome and farewell to the friends and clients that have been or are here at the moment: Australian Eddie Blackwell and family, Australian Critta from Maroubra and friends, Capixabas from Brasil Marcelinho, Flávio and André, Márcio Ramos and wife, jiu-jitsu master Zé Marcelo and wife Michelle, Carlos Alberto Paes Leme and wife Ingrid, Anderson Siqueira and Andrezza Ramos, the couples Fabiano e Elane Alves and Cristiano e Cristiana Francalacci, André Gurgel and wife Bhakti Anivarro, Cantalício from Guarda do Embaú with wife Marcia and son Humberto that went on a adventure to Sumatra, the shaper from Santinho Adriano Silveira, the american Marta just arrived from Brasil, her Uruguaian friend Martina that has just spent a month in Sout Africa and the Aussie Kara making together the best female surf team on the area, the portuguese Yuri and girlfriend Gisela, the catarinenses from Floripa Jonas Salomão, Frederico Ferrer, Glênio Zanella and Luiz Vicente, the Brasilians Guilherme Neves and girlfriend Bárbara, the residents such as Hawaiian heavy weight Jimbo, big wave charger Cacho, Peruvian Felipe, Hawaiian Marthy Hoffman, Aussies Tony Gondri, Peter Mills, Bryan, Michael O'Leary and Toni Doris now in charge of one of the Indies Trader boats and finally the just arrived Hawaiians David Cantrell and my good friend Rainos Hayes, menager of the Billabong team Hawaii that soon will be on surfing pictures on an article about some trip organized by the Bali Surf Connection that I will bring first hand to the crew.

Independent of what the sensationalist international media might be saying, life here on the Balinese Bukit is always on that surfing rhythm as always.surf all day, have a massage and go for dinner watching surfing videos.safety and relaxation are a common thing here!!!

We have a prediction of a medium swell on its way that will come on the same time as the new moon. planning has already started...me, Rainos and a few other right guys are already monitoring and deciding...soon more news direct from the island of the Gods.

Have a good surf!!
OM SANTI SANTI SANTI OM