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On a previous trip to Bali I decided to stay at Nusa Dua. In my many decades of surfing Bali, I’d surfed Nusa Dua many times, but never actually stayed there.
My reasons for not staying there in the past were many. The most obvious one was - it’s an expensive place. Actually, throughout the whole island, the Nusa Dua area would have to be the hardest on your pocket. Also, it was always too far from the nightlife and I used to look at the people that stayed at Nusa Dua as the older touristy types – a bit boring.
Being over 50 now myself, things have changed. I don’t care much for the nightlife anymore and to tell you the truth, I am over the traffic jams and crowded beach scene in the Kuta/Legian area.
So I booked into a cheaper expensive hotel and surprisingly I really enjoyed my stay. It was cool to have room to move on the streets (they are actually wide and have descent foot paths) and the hassle factor from sellers and traffic was almost non existent.
As I said, I’d surfed Nusa Dua many times in the past, but I hadn’t really looked at it for years. If I was to be honest, it wasn't one of my favourite surf spots. Actually, I had given it my own private nickname years back – Frustration Reef. During the times I surfed it, I often came away frustrated. Strong sweeps meant for constant paddling and shifting peaks that regularly landed just in front of me to add another 20 minutes to getting out to the take off zone. And there always seemed to be someone else getting the gems. Although I got plenty of really nice waves – many would regularly section out on me.
“The first day had three sups and one surfer on the whole reef – and Nusa Dua is a very long reef.”
This time the surf was a real surprise – 6 to 8 feet and hardly anyone around. There were two days of swell. The first day had three sups and one surfer on the whole reef – and Nusa Dua is a very long reef. The next day there was one lone surfer up near the temple and again three sups down on the end section. A bit different to the 80s and 90s when there would be dots stretching all along the reef.
I’m now puzzled. Maybe Nusa Dua is now out of fashion because of the other easier breaks in the area? I’m not sure what was going on, but I’ve decided that I just might like the place after all.
My reasons for not staying there in the past were many. The most obvious one was - it’s an expensive place. Actually, throughout the whole island, the Nusa Dua area would have to be the hardest on your pocket. Also, it was always too far from the nightlife and I used to look at the people that stayed at Nusa Dua as the older touristy types – a bit boring.
Being over 50 now myself, things have changed. I don’t care much for the nightlife anymore and to tell you the truth, I am over the traffic jams and crowded beach scene in the Kuta/Legian area.
So I booked into a cheaper expensive hotel and surprisingly I really enjoyed my stay. It was cool to have room to move on the streets (they are actually wide and have descent foot paths) and the hassle factor from sellers and traffic was almost non existent.
As I said, I’d surfed Nusa Dua many times in the past, but I hadn’t really looked at it for years. If I was to be honest, it wasn't one of my favourite surf spots. Actually, I had given it my own private nickname years back – Frustration Reef. During the times I surfed it, I often came away frustrated. Strong sweeps meant for constant paddling and shifting peaks that regularly landed just in front of me to add another 20 minutes to getting out to the take off zone. And there always seemed to be someone else getting the gems. Although I got plenty of really nice waves – many would regularly section out on me.
“The first day had three sups and one surfer on the whole reef – and Nusa Dua is a very long reef.”
This time the surf was a real surprise – 6 to 8 feet and hardly anyone around. There were two days of swell. The first day had three sups and one surfer on the whole reef – and Nusa Dua is a very long reef. The next day there was one lone surfer up near the temple and again three sups down on the end section. A bit different to the 80s and 90s when there would be dots stretching all along the reef.
I’m now puzzled. Maybe Nusa Dua is now out of fashion because of the other easier breaks in the area? I’m not sure what was going on, but I’ve decided that I just might like the place after all.