As you might have guessed, WE ARE BEYOND EXCITED TO SURF WITH YOU IN INDONESIA!

Our new, all-inclusive surf and yoga camps in Bali will offer all the hands-on, luxury, and adventure you’ve come to crave in a Pura Vida Adventures retreat…in an incredible new locale.

Our surf guide along the way in this Bali adventure is Victoria Patchell, a ripping surfer, and former Pura Vida Adventures instructor in Costa Rica, who now makes Bali her home.

Read on as she gushes about all the amazing surf spots you’ll get to experience on this new adventure! And if you haven’t reserved your spot for Bali yet, what are you waiting for? Spaces are going FAST, so contact us today to get all the sweet details!

Nusa Lembongan: A ‘Surfers Fairytale Destination’

By Victoria Patchell

The island of Nusa Lembongan truly is the surf paradise for surfers wanting to expand their ability to ride green waves.

As a surf coach with over 15 years of experience, I know my stuff! And I can tell you: this Indonesian Island Paradise is one of my favorite locations to take my students who want to gain more experience and confidence riding the ever sought-after “open” face waves.

‘The Bong” as local surfers like to call it provides the perfect playground to hone your skills, perfecting your bottom turn, cutbacks, and traveling ‘down the line”, on consistent wave faces.

Just like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Bong offers several wave options to suit varying abilities and desires (so there’s something for everybody!)

Surfer at the Bong! 

Comprised of coral reef breaks, the island boasts three main waves consisting of Playgrounds, Lacerations, Razers, Tamarind Bay, and Shipwrecks.

Each wave captures the swell on a variable scale so it enables you to have a friendly 2ft wave breaking at the same time a 6ft-barrelling wave is.

It really is a surf instructor’s dream as we can cater to varying abilities all at the same time!

However one needs to understand the tide and swell conditions intimately to choose the right window of time to surf it to suit your ability level. A rising tide or a dropping tide makes the world of difference on this island paradise! (Which is why getting top-class instruction is KEY to ripping at this amazing local spot).

Nusa Lembongan really is a hidden gem: with gorgeous white sand beaches, sunsets with volcanos in the distance, and a laid-back island culture where cars are a rarity.

This magical island provides the perfect location to slow down, chill out and fill your days with surf, SUP, snorkeling with great food, and naps in a hammock.

Playgrounds

As its name suggests, this is one of the friendliest waves on the island–a great location to make friends and have long sunset rides. (Fun fact: I even met a boyfriend surfing out there!) It is a magical place with incredible views and offers a good time from 0.5ft upward to 8ft.

Playgrounds offer an A-Frame across the reef providing a mechanical left and right wave. The left is the longer ride, and the right pitches and in the right conditions can offer a barrel.

One of the great advantages of these reef breaks is once you catch your wave on the paddle back out you can head to the channel where the waves don’t break and avoid turtle rolling or duck diving.

This is the huge advantage of surfing reefs is the potential for a dry hair paddle out. This is the moment you feel like you are a surf goddess as you get to ride all these great waves and then can get back out to the lineup with ease with the option to take a break in the safety of the channel.

Lacerations
Don’t let the name scare you. Lacerations is actually many of my students’ favorite wave to surf on the island. If you tap it on the correct tide and swell it offers a friendly and long mechanical right-hander directly into the safety of the channel.

Surfing it on the right day it feels like the perfect right-hand wave machine and you can get long ride after long ride–with an easy paddle back out.

However, in larger swells and on a dropping tide Lacerations lives up to its name and offers a high-performance barrelling right-hand wave across the coral reef. When this wave is pumping it is a spectacle to witness!

Another great advantage of this wave is it is predominately accessed by boat, which keeps the crowds to a minimum.

Tamarind Bay
When the swell is up Tamarind Bay is the spot to go for friendly smaller waves. Depending on the swell direction it offers a friendly A-frame wave in the bay and also a left-hander from the point. This is the location to go if it’s too big for Playgrounds or Lacerations.

Razers
When the swell is small and Playgrounds and Lacerations are not breaking, Razers is the next wave on the menu. In a location that is a swell magnet, it offers a left-hand reef break which is quite fast. This wave generally is best suited for more experienced surfers who are able to navigate the reef and the speed of the wave.

Shipwrecks
This is the Pappa Bear of the waves on the island. Shipwrecks is for experienced surfers and offers a high-performance right-hand wave that often barrels and has a fast take-off. It is an absolute swell magnet and can hold some serious size! When you score one of these waves on its day it will keep you smiling all afternoon.

So there you have it! If you are after a surfing holiday in a lush tropical paradise and looking to improve your surfing on green waves–Nusa Lembongan is for you.

This beautiful island offers such an array of waves for advanced beginners, intermediates, and experienced surfers. If you have never surfed before I would recommend a few days on the mainland of Bali in the whitewater first so you can literally find your feet. Also, pack a set of reef booties and a good rash guard for protection from the sun and coral reef. This island really offers a once-in-a-lifetime surfing experience accessing these perfect turquoise waves from the luxury of a boat!

Happy surfing! We hope to catch some of these incredible waves with you in May, so contact us today to guarantee your Bali spot! Spaces are going FAST for this life-changing adventure.