Uluwatu is a world-famous wave for good reason. With Coronavirus smashing the travel industry into dust, things at Uluwatu right now are closer to what Gerry Lopez might’ve experienced there back in 1974 when he first surfed it. Back then, the tourism industry hadn’t exactly taken hold. It was pristine — untouched by the grubby little clutching paws of Western society. “We discovered the biggest candy store for surf there could ever be,” Gerry Lopez once said about that time in his life. “We were completely and utterly just blown away by not only the quality but the consistency of the surf and the lack of people.”
And while it’s not the same anymore, it’s a least a little closer to that candy store. On October 3, the SE trades backed off a bit, the tide was perfect, and the size was just right for Uluwatu, especially the Racetrack section. “It was a really nice size and tide for the Racetrack,” wrote Surfers of Bali, “just rolling down the reef before hitting a barrel section or two and maybe another bonus wall offering one more hit.”
Subscribe to Surfers of Bali here.
