Survive your SurfLife

Okay, finaly I get started with this page. I know its no exuse but since im quite busy with working, hanging out with friends, travelling, surfing and of course eating and sleeping I didn't find the time to type the beginning of my story. But anyway if you read the story below the next picture I hope you will enjoy the writing and  stories to come!!!

The first time you come home after your surftrip to an ocean with more or less better and more consistant and reliable wave's you'll find yourself in a cold windy environment with a wetsuit wrapped around your shoulders and freezing feet. The wave's, if lucky, are not too slow so you can jump in with your shortboard and paddle out through the rough white water. Once behind the first break you sit down on your board looking for a nice set to roll in. Too bad, there aren't these nice fine lines which break everytime at the same point!! But you don't care, you are out there in the water and enjoying the paddeling with this enormous big creature called the house of Neptune. Actually you realise after catching these difficult mountains of water that it's a great place to be!! Holland aint that bad. You just have to go in no matter what the conditions are or what you expected it to be like. I really appreciate the Dutch conditions. Do you know why? Well its because if you go on a trip the next time for example France and the wave's aren't perfect you'll go in anyway and you know you deserve the best wave of the day just because you appreciate all wave's and conditions. In the end its all about being out there anyway!

BALI.............!!!!!

As a beginner it is already pretty hard to surf at your home spot where you know the people, the parking lot, the beach, the surf shop, the beer you drink and the best place to paddle out. But just imagine what happens if you put this beginner in a situation with locals, coral reefs, strange taxi drivers, different spots, strange currents and not to forget weird beer and Arak attack. STRESS I tell you!!But it could go better than most of us think. You don’t have to be afraid of the locals, the taxi drivers aren’t that bad, the beer tastes strange but makes you drunk anyway, Arak is only vodka and the coral won’t cut you if you know where to go.

I am talking about Bali now, my experience on Bali as a beginning surfer and traveler.I took the train from Thailand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at first I thought it would be much cheaper and since I always like to travel by train I thought it was a good alternative to flying. It was, but flying is a hell of a lot faster you know!! The only thing you have to keep in mind is that you’ll have to pay an additional fee for your surfboard. Not for all the carriers though, I didn’t pay anything with Malaysia airlines while Thai airways cost around 100 euro extra (and you sit in the same damn plane!!!). Turkish airways has a good fee of 38 euro from A-dam to Bangkok. Anyway from KL I took a plane to Denpasar once you get there you’ll get a visa for 60 days but by the time I left they wanted to shorten that to 30 days, so check it out before you go.

My first footstep on the island of Bali I will never forget, it was warm from the sun, the air, and specially the people. I found a taxi driver, or better, he found me. And before I knew it I booked a room in a cheap hotel (I thought). Five minutes later I walked towards the beach and enjoyed the sun and view of a nice beach with just a bit too many tattoo and woodcarving sale’s people. I stopped to have a drink and sat on the beach. Next to me a older man starts talking, “where are you from?” Holland I said and he told me he was from England. We talked a bit and he explained that there are better lossmen and guesthouses than the one I’m in. So the next morning I moved! For 4 euro a night I had my own room, bath and two beds. Not bad. But its about surfing right?!

Rule number one. Buy a surfers guide book (surfing indo and lingo)

Rule number two. Start in Kuta beach or better in Legian with only beach breaks, it will teach you the speed of the wave’s. too bad it’s closed out most of the time.

Rule number three. Take some locals with you and pay their taxi (transport), they know where to go and how to paddle, tell them you are a beginner!! Read the guide book and plan your stay according to the spots.

Here’s what I did. Kuta beach for 3 days,  Changuu (rocks, no coral) twice. Serangan for 2 days (coral, but deep water, 1.5 km to paddle out so make sure your arms are in good shape) Airport reef, take a boat and surf for one and a half hours. (right’s, more dangerous and undeep water so be careful) and I went to Lembogan Island just east of Bali, here you have playgrounds which is good for beginners, the other two are more for experts since the coral is sucked dry at low tide!!In between I stayed at Kuta beach for a few days to let my shoulders rest and hang out with the locals and local tourists (the ones who are there for months).

I was there four months after the bombing and tourism was low, I sure hope it’s getting better now because it’s the most peaceful island I've ever been to, the food is fantastic, the people are the friendliest in the world and the wave’s are the best I ever seen! There are many more spots on Bali and I hope you’ll surf there, for me this was enough for my first time but I’ll be back.

See you out there.....