Friday 12th December, Balinese Moped Grandprix

Monsoon Evening;

Rained all night still struggling with my sleep patterns, I had every good intention to be asleep by 1am so I could be up at 7am and in the sea at Nusa Dua by 7.45am. The reason for this is because it is high tide at this time and the water level is about 5ft where the waves break compared th 2.5ft to 3.5ft at low tide which is around 1.30pm. Another thought was that because it is an east facing beach I could enjoy the latter part of sunrise in the sea. However after writing my blog and finally getting to sleep it was 4.30 am and I awoke much later than expected.

Pole Position in the Bali Grand Prix,

Well I ended up in the sea at approx 2pm it was dry and clear leaving Kuta but along the journey another Monsoon downpour. This is becoming a regular experience, riding flat out at 90kmhr on a moped with a surfboard strapped to the side, in a vest and a pair of shorts. A quick note here is that the roads are all teaming with people single and two, sometimes three up on mopeds. It feels like a starting grid at a grandprix at each set of traffic lights. A great experience though as every one looks across and acknowledges you with a smile and many say “good surf Bali?”. They can see you are here to surf and they all seem to respect surfing here. Often people start a conversation, they all seem to speak reasonable English, ask where you are from?, where are you staying?, how long you be here? Its a very friendly experience.

NB;The police so far just smile and nod as you pass them and all the security guards guarding the posh boutiques and hotels always acknowledge you and smile tipping their heads politely.

This is very different to the security guards and bouncers in the UK, no explanation needed here as we all know what the stereotype conjures explained in a quote from Mike Skinner of “The Streets”, a bouncer is just waiting to bounce you around like a bunny, or words to that effect, can not remember exactly.

Low Tide at Nusa Dua,

arrived at the beach drenched but the waves in the words of my good friend Paul Morgan were “Peeling like a banana!” so rain or no rain I was just going to go in as it was empty and looked like I would have the sea all to myself. However by the time I had walked over to the point and climbed in there were 4 of the same young Indonesian locals as yesterday. All very friendly again today and within 10 minutes rain stopped and surf was on. The difference today was the waves were breaking in 3.5ft of water over the razor shop rocky sea bed, I felt super intimidated as I cannot surf that well and I have been caught up in many waves before as I have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is best described as what it would feel like to being in a washing machine. If this happens today it is going to be a bad day.

Catching Waves;
well I am catching a few waves and when I jump off at the end the secret seems to be to lie splat out like a pancake to stop your body really going below the surface. This works for about 2 hrs then a few large sets of waves roll in and I am in the wrong place by a few feet, as I went to duck dive through the top of one of these larger waves I popped out the other side at the top then next thing I can feel is being sucked backwards with no where to go, this is called “going over the falls” I was pulled backwards into the crest of the wave and then it slammed me back first with my board facing up into the bottom of the sea bed. I quickly spread out to minimize the impact but I then feel a sharp rock push up into the base of my spine, Ouch! have a bit of a graze but this was a direct hit into my vertebral column. Damn wake up call! then 10 minutes later knee hits a rock and graze number two, then my foot, graze number 3.

Try and imagine this, your sitting on a surfboard waiting for waves then as the sea bobs up and down you feel the knuckles on your toes catch the sharp rocks on the ocean bed, it is that shallow. The locals absolutely tear up the place apart though, there was not a single wave un ridden all the time they were in the ocean today.

If the waves were really pumping in these conditions, sharp torturous physical anhialation would be the most fitting description to what the sea bed here could and would do to you..

Lesson learned; Hide tide at Nusa Dua from now on..

Michael Grando surfboard bag manufacturer

Near the street here I am staying in Kuta, as well as surf shops, there are quite a few surfboard bag makers, they have open shop fronts with sewing machines and rolls of tough nylon on display. They can make any padded bag that you can image. I really needed some individual padded cases for to be made for some of my camera equipment. I asked if he could and he said yes, so I have designed them in a mix of black and camo tough nylon. They came out great one day to make, So now I have decided to design a laptop bag and a few wallets and other cases. Michael Grando sits outside his shop playing a djembe drum. He is like the old man from Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi.

He has made me two bags so far..photos soon to come, now I have all kinds of ideas about getting prototypes made for our brand Chilled Heat,

I really am having a good time, rain or no rain its is great..