Should I come surfing in Bali during the wet season?
I have been asked this question many times so thought it is worth writing a blog post about it. The short answer is YES, you can come to Bali and surf in the wet season and you will enjoy your surfing. And by wet season I mean from end of October to March. I believe the worst months are December and January.
Yes, true the wet season means more wind and more rain. However, this does not mean it will rain every single day. Weather in Bali is highly unpredictable. So you might get lucky and have four days of sunny weather in a row with not a single drop of rain or not. However, heavy raining here does not last long. So if you do get unlucky, chances are it will rain one hour in the morning heavily and then you might get some rain in the late afternoon. It also depends on the year. During some years, the rainy season is mild, while for others years it is not.
Surfing in Serangan on a sunny day during the rainy season
Surfing in the wet season:
Surfwise, you can get a quite decent surfing in the wet season as well. This is when the breaks in the east side of the island (such as Keramas, Nusa Dua, Serangan) start to work.
Surfing in the rainy season, however, do means more commuting as most chances are that you will still want to stay on the West side of the island – Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta – where the action is.
However, if you do get lucky and there’s no wind, especially after rain when wind cools down, surfing on the west side can be really good. This means that if you decide to stay on the west side, you might get 40% or more of decent surfing west and then need to commute east on the rainy/windy days.
You need to know that the sea on the west side can get pretty ugly and dirty during the rainy season. This is because of the currents that bring at shore all the garbage. It can also be quite muddy. On the other hand, the beaches on the east side tend to be clean and beautiful. In fact, I believe Nusa Dua is one of the most beautiful beaches in Bali.
Nusa Dua when on!
To sum up, no matter when you come to Bali, wet season or not, you will enjoy yourself and have a great surfing. Besides it is not called the Mecca of surfing for no reason.
