The hunt for uncrowded surf in Bali (Part 1)

It is no longer a secret; Indonesia is blessed with constant surf as the roaring 40's produce swell after swell year round. Bali is the epicenter of the Indonesian surfing world. Bali has it all, surf for all skill levels, beauty, culture, endless places to stay, restaurants of every type cuisine imageable, and nightlife. For surfers it is too good to be true and the byproduct is crowds. The days of "nobody was out, it was prefect" might be over for the most part. Every knows about it: Aussies, Americans, Europeans, Brazilians, and locals. They got surf forecasts, guides, videos, and many know where to surf on what conditions. Regardless, we at Bali Surf Hunters will attempt to do the impossible, find fun surf in Bali with less crowds. We might get lucky, find a few spots with a handful of surfers on that particular day. Likely the less crowded spots won't be as good as the best premier spots and for better and worse, there will not likely be guys shredding it apart in the videos but isn't that the point, surfing waves where you actually catch the set waves? The is video was shot on May 1 2023. Balian is often effect by crosswinds after 10am just like Canggu to the south and Medewi to the northwest. Yes, Bali is known to have a shark and there has been a few attacks, non fatal. Balian has a rivermouth feeding into it in front of the right. The attacks seem to happen just after a strong rain because the silt from the river blocks visibility. You can read up on how many shark attacks have occurred. Some tend to exaggerate how often so look it up. To be safe, paddle in and out where the left is and don't surf Balian just after it rains. If you are fearful, do surf it, and if really fearful, stop surfing, watch tennis on TV.