As you progress as a surfer, one handy skill you should pick up is how to duck dive. Duck diving the way surfers pass through oncoming waves without losing progress towards a spot in the line-up. While you’re paddling out, oncoming waves can send you back towards shore, causing you to waste energy and time struggling to get to your destination. The more frequent and bigger the waves, the more
Surfing is bigger than ever. Though an ancient Polynesian pastime imbibed with spirituality and cultural significance, it only began to emerge in terms of global popularity during the late 1950s and early 60s. At this time, the modern surfing era began in its ancestral home of Hawaii as well as in California and Australia. Since then surfing has gone through a few booms and even some lulls, but in terms
Why is surfing good for you? We know that physical activity, including sports, can have physical as well as psychological health benefits. But what are those particular to surfing? Is surfing better for you than, for example, cycling, karate or softball? Let’s go over a few of the most beneficial aspects of surfing whether they be physical, mental or more spiritual in nature. Here are 10 reasons why surfing is good
Lead image of Maui surf. Pic: Pic: Dane Siestas (Flickr CC) We recently posted our non-definitive, but still well researched list of the Top 10 surfing destinations in the world, which included such luminaries as Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, Australia’s Gold Coast, Malibu in California and that jewel of southern Europe — Ericeira, Portugal. Yet there were other places that “should” have been in the list, but for one reason or another
So you’ve just started surfing and you want the best board for beginners. Or perhaps your upping your game and want the right board for your particular level and style. Make no mistake: if you’re not rich, forking over the cash for a new surfboard is a commitment. It’s a decision you should make only after being properly informed — through trying your friends’ boards, rental models and reading everything
I grew up going to lots of loud hardcore punk shows that at best left my ears ringing and at worst brought a stabbing pain that seemed to pierce my eardrums. It wasn’t too long before I realized I needed to wear earplugs. I got so conscientious that if I forgot my earplugs at a show — or even a nightclub with a loud sound system — I’d stuff whatever
The Komune Bali Pro got off to a great start at Keramas on Wednesday, October 8. The 13-heat opening round of the Qualifying Series (QS) and Asian Surfing Championship (ASC) event showcased great local and international surfers on 4-5 foot waves. Standouts included Indonesia’s Pepen Hendrik, who scored 9.50 on a single wave with a deep tube and Australia’s Jordin Watson, who took the day’s highest two-wave total with 16.50
Surf films keep getting artier, more trippy and more beautiful. Or were they always that way? I guess 1972’s ground-breaking Morning of the Earth basically set the bar for a certain type of surf film in the way it used nature, mood and music to highlight the “spirituality” of surfing and drive home a powerful message. DirectorJoe Guglielmino — or “Joe G” — has been making surf films for a decade. His
Last week I posted about Diah Rahayu, Bali’s only female professional surfer. One of the things Diah said about being a female surfer in Indonesia was that her friends believed it was dangerous and therefore weren’t so likely to get in the water. The modern girls of Bali aren’t the only ones to feel this way. Apparently being wary of the sea is widespread and goes back far into the
One of my favourite TV shows, Australia’s “Puberty Blues”, depicts 1970s surfing culture Down Under as a misogynistic boy’s club populated by a bunch of stupid jerks, with of course the one exception of the dreamy male lead. Girls are simply not allowed to surf and are mocked and bullied if they do. It’s a macho sport in a macho country at a macho time. So in surfing, so in
As one of the top tourist destination in the world — especially for sun, sand and surf — crowds are inevitable at many of Bali’s top sites. But rest assured, there is another Bali: a Bali off the beaten path. Avoiding the throngs of holidaymakers isn’t as easy as a packaged tour or just following the masses, however. You need to do a bit of research first. Then and only
There are certain words the outside world associates with North Korea, such as isolationism, despotism, secrecy, famine, personality cult and Juche (the country’s nationalistic philosophy developed by Kim Il-sung, which roughly translates as “self-reliance”). We get these words and our impressions of DPRK through a media that is always ready to fuel hysteria about a country shrouded in mystery and lead by a comical, albeit dangerous, figure. Let’s face it:
The expression “bucket list” has entered into mainstream English vocabulary and is here to stay. It all started with the 2007 film, “The Bucket List”, directed by Rob Reiner and starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. I’ve never seen the film and I had no idea the saying was such a recent invention. The idea of the bucket list is a list of things you really want to do before
We tend to think of Bali as a destination for surfers, romantics, partygoers and new-age types in search of a relaxing yoga or spa holiday. But how does Bali rank as a family destination? Are there many activities for kids? It turns out there is plenty to do on Bali for kids and lots of online resources packed with ideas. There’s even a guidebook called — simply enough — Bali
On the island of Bali there are basically two seasons: rainy and dry. The Bali rainy season lasts from October to April, while the dry runs from May through September. As you can imagine, the dry season is the time when tourists pour onto the island in search of sun, fun and surf. But the Bali rainy season also has a lot to offer — and at a lower cost.
Rapture Garden Bungalows, Jalan Labuan Sait, Jalan Buana Sari Pecatu, Bali, Indonesia
Jl. Alas Arum, Nusa Dua, Green Bowls, Bali, Indonesia
Foz do Lizandro 6, 2655-133 Ericeira, Mafra, Portugal