And
the month of August has arrived in Bali…as always
the island got overcrowded…almost every hotel,
villas and losmens are completely full…there
has been years since the island got full like this.
Besides the crazy traffic at the rush hour, the island
is full of good looking people, the parties are going
off , the majority of night clubs are completely full
every night and any night of the week seems to be
a Saturday…
It’s also notable the increasing number of kids
begging on the streets of Kuta specially at early
morning hours in front of the night clubs.
While the night was going off at Kuta, Seminyak and
Oberoi on the weekend of the 15th, a solid swell that
lasted 4 days got everyone stoked after a long wait
for real waves…finally a solid swell had come
strong and this time it didn’t hang for only
a day on the coast.
On Saturday 15th at Uluwatu bombs of 8 to 10 feet
were breaking on the Outside Corner, Outside Peak
and at the Bommie while at Padang the Rip Curl contests
for invitees was taking place closing the spot for
almost the whole day. Hawaiian Jamie O’Brien
won the contest putting on a show of technique, talent
and total control of the tubes. The beach was completely
packed of beautiful people and boxes of Bintangs didn’t
stop going down the stairs. The party was big…
On Sunday 16th a lot of people didn’t show up
and from what I’ve heard the party that had
started at daytime on the beach on Saturday was huge
and kept going throughout the night so the hangover
must’ve been even bigger. Luck for those that
didn’t hit it hard and enjoyed a Sunday full
of waves and with a little crowd…
Even with Padang breaking with 4 to 5 feet and Uluwatu
with solid 8 feet and a few sets getting close to
ten feet in both spots wasn’t crowded. At Padang
I’ve counted 18 persons in the water…on
a Sunday in August with 5 feet waves…simply
surreal!!
At Uluwatu we had a late afternoon session “that
way”…nearly every few of the 8 to 10 surfers
that were on the water went in at around 16:30 right
by the time that the wind started to come down and
the ocean started to get glassy…I ended up staying
alone with my friend Christian for about one hour
with sets of 2 to 3 waves of 6 to 8 feet at every
15 minutes. Right by sunset time another 3 surfers
came out but they stayed on the inside close to the
channel…I couldn’t believe my luck…divide
the line up on the Outside Corner of Uluwatu with
only a friend on an 8 feet glassy day is something
I haven’t done in a long time…We surfed
until we got exhausted with the traditional orange
sunset and fishing boats cruising the horizon as a
background and we left the water with that typical
smile of someone who has lived an unforgettable experience…that
feeling of having lived a special moment, a bit like
Nirvana, had finally come back; Something a bit rare
on nowadays specially due to the crowds…It has
been a long time I didn’t get on such a mental
state like that after a surf session…I left
the water and thanked God, Nyai Loro Kidul, Iemanja
and Neptune…
On the following day that traditional depression pos-swell
hits when we realized the swell has dropped off…specially
if there is a hangover to accompany…but as we
are a race that always wants more, the hunger for
a new swell come on full stroke and the saga continues…August
hasn’t yet ended and many pleasant surprises
can be waiting right ahead…whoever is alive
(and on the islands) shall see…
ALOHA!!
Special thanks:
ULUWATU PHOTO (www.uluwatuphoto.com)
for the high quality surfing pictures and local people
of Bali.
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