Uluwatu is a region on the south-western tip of the

Bukit Peninsula The Bukit Peninsula (Indonesian: ''Semenanjung Bukit'') is at the southern end of the island of Bali, Indonesia. It is traditionally considered to be the entire area south of Jimbaran beach. Unlike the bulk of Bali, it features a dry, arid and s ...

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It is home to the

Pura Luhur Uluwatu Uluwatu Temple ( ban, Pura (Luhur) Uluwatu) is a Balinese Hindu sea temple (''Pura Segara'') located in Uluwatu (South Kuta, Badung). The temple is regarded as one of the '' sad kahyangan'' and is dedicated to Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in his manife ...

Temple. The name Uluwatu comes from ''ulu'', meaning 'lands end', and ''watu'', meaning 'rock'.

Geography

Visible in the

are layers of tertiary limestone resulting from the tectonic subduction of the

Indo-Australian Plate The Indo-Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes the continent of Australia and the surrounding ocean and extends northwest to include the Indian subcontinent and the adjacent waters. It was formed by the fusion of the Indian an ...

under the

Eurasian Plate The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate that includes most of the continent of Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia), with the notable exceptions of the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent and ...

, bringing it above sea level. Uluwatu borders the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

to the south.

Surfing

Uluwatu was "discovered" as a surfing destination in 1972, due to the making of ''

Morning of the Earth ''Morning of the Earth'' is a 1971 classic surf film by Alby Falzon and David Elfick. The film's soundtrack was produced by G. Wayne Thomas and included music and songs by noted Australian music acts Tamam Shud, John J. Francis, Brian Cadd, Mik ...

'', a 1971 classic surf film by

Alby Falzon Albert "Alby" Falzon (born 1945) is an Australian filmmaker, photographer and publisher in the surfing sub-culture. Early life Falzon grew up in the beachside suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra in Sydney, Australia. He did not begin ...

and

David Elfick David Elfick (born 20 December 1944) is an Australian film and television writer, director, producer and occasional actor. He is known for his association with writer-director Phillip Noyce, with whom he has collaborated on films including ''New ...

. The original goal of the film was to show waves around Kuta. After a few days of shooting around Kuta beach, they found Uluwatu. To get to Uluwatu requires descending down the temple and emerging through the two rocks at the base of the cave, at the beach of Uluwatu. At the time, there were no roads leading to the beach, which meant that surfers had to bring all the supplies they would need. Steve Cooney surfed the first wave in Uluwatu history, capturing it on film for ''Morning of the Earth'' at age 15. After the film's release on 25 February 1972, Uluwatu received immediate attention from surfers across the globe. Today Uluwatu is one of the most popular surf destinations in all of Bali, with surfers visiting from all over the world and with the advancement in video technology there has been some incredible aerial footage showcasing Uluwatu's beauty from the air.

Wave breaks

Starting from the top of the series of wave breaks to the bottom, the wave is composed of five breaks: The Bombie, Temples, Outside Corner, Racetracks, and The Peak.

Bombie

Bombie is the first of the five breaks in the Uluwatu series, located on the outer

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

. Well known for breaking boards and snapping leashes, Bombie is an extremely powerful wave. On bigger swell days the wave can reach up to 20 feet. With fairly consistent surf year round, the best time is from May to October. This is the

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...

with southeast winds. The typical surf arises from groundswells, coming in with a southwest swell direction. Bombie has a left breaking reef.

Temples

Temples received its name from an old temple on the foreground of the cliff. It is the second wave break in the series. This wave is recognized by the heavy amount of swell it receives. It is not a highly populated wave by surfers because it takes more effort to get out to it. However, there is a strong crew of expat and local surfers there and proper etiquette is required at all time.

Outside Corner

Next in line is Outside Corner, making this the other outer reef portion of Uluwatu. Outside Corner is next in line to The Peak and Racetracks, connecting them as swells pick up. During low tide, experiencing breaks can be expected on the biggest swells, but not before reaching . Some of the waves during this time will build up, reaching . This makes for a ride that covers approximately .

Racetracks

Racetracks makes for an incredibly fast ride. Low

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide t ...

is its prime time. During low tide, large barrels form at the end of the ride. The water is extremely shallow here making it something to be cautious of. Beware of the reef at the end of the ride, Racetracks is known to dry dock there, making it a high concern for surfers, and very dangerous. Mid tide is another great time for surfing. Unlike low tide, during mid tide, the barrels are more navigable, and it is more likely to reach the end of the ride with success.

The Peak

Last in the series of break, The Peak is found. It is located right at the base of the cave, making this the entry and exit point of Uluwatu. The Peak operates well at every tide stage. Coming in best at high tide this wave makes for many hollow barreling waves. Unlike high tide, low tide at The Peak is known for closing out. The Peak has a reef break. Winds from the southeast make the most ideal waves. It is key to have a board the size of 6’8-7’4 while surfing this wave.

Swells

Kuta Bali Indonesia Pura-Luhur-Uluwatu-01

Due to deep-water channels on both sides of the

, swells are mainly found there. Strong currents make for larger swells at low tide. During these lower tides and large swells, The Peak, Racetracks, and Temples are all under white water, and Bombie and Outside Corner take the swells, creating waves. At high tide, small swells will be more prevalent, creating barrels.

Transportation

The closest airport to Uluwatu is

Ngurah Rai International Airport I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional I Gusti Ngurah Rai) , is the main airport in Bali, located 13 km south of Denpasar. Ngurah Rai is the second busiest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno–Hatta Int ...

Denpasar Denpasar (; Balinese script, Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ) is the capital of Bali and the main gateway to the island. The city is also a hub for other cities in the Lesser Sunda Islands. With the rapid growth of the tourism industry in Bali ...

. The airport is north from Uluwatu. There are 41 airlines that depart out of the airport, and the airport offers nonstop flights to 50 cities every week. There is a minimum of 966 domestic flights and 889 international flights per week departing from it.

Surfers blessings

The

temple is one of nine directional temples of Bali, found up at the top of the rock at the southwest most point of the

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

. Locals on the island believe that Gods have blessed the surfers who surf the Uluwatu wave, because of how divine and perfect the waves there are. The temple is believed to protect Bali against evil.

References

{{coord, 8, 50, S, 115, 05, E, display=title, region:ID_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Articles containing video clips Tourist attractions in Bali Populated places in Bali Beaches of Indonesia Surfing locations in Indonesia Badung Regency