A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Expansive left-breaking wave located on the southwest corner of Bali's Bukit Peninsula; the first in a near-endless chain of perfect Indonesian reef waves discovered by traveling surfers from the early '70s to present day.

Pura Luhur Uluwatu ("Temple Above the Final Stone") is the name of the Balinese cliffside temple overlooking the break; Uluwatu is best from May to October, as Indian Ocean winter storms generate consistent four- to eight-foot swells—broken up by the occasional 10- to 12- footer—which are groomed as they reach shore by Bali's reliable southeast tradewinds.

Uluwatu's sweeping, coral-covered lava reef has three main sections: 1) Outside Corner, a shifty wave located farthest out to sea, is best on lower tides, starts breaking at six feet, can hold form up to 15 feet, and sometimes produces rides up to 300 yards long. 2) The Peak, or Inside Corner, is the main surfing area, located just in front of a beach-access cave, and features a shifting set of peaks when the waves are between three and six feet. 3) Racetrack, further inside, is Uluwatu's five-star section; a long, fast, hollow wave that gets bigger as it coils and spits down the reef. Racetrack requires a mid-sized swell and mid-range tide.

Decades years of international fame, plus the break's proximity to tourist-magnat Kuta Beach, make for a crowded lineup at Uluwatu, often with up to 100 visiting and local surfers out at a time. Sharks and sea snakes have been spotted here, but the primary hazard here is a dangerously shallow reef at lower tides, particularly along the Racetrack section.

While Uluwatu may have been surfed in the late '60s by visiting American and Australia GIs, its well-documented "discovery" took place in August 1971, when Aussie surf moviemaker Alby Falzon arrived with 14-year-old Steve Cooney of Sydney and former top-rated California surfer Rusty Miller; Falzon filmed the two riding perfect four- to eight-foot Peak and Racetrack waves for his seminal 

 surf film. By the mid-'70s, local Balinese surfers including Ketut Menda, Made Kasim, and Gede Narmada had joined well-known visitors such as Gerry Lopez, Peter McCabe, and Jim Banks in Uluwatu's aquamarine lineup, and photos of the break were a regular feature in surf magazines.

California surfer Bob Laverty drowned while surfing Uluwatu in 1972, just a few days after he led the first surfing expedition to Grajagan, on the neighboring island of Java. The 1980 OM Bali Pro, won by Terry Fitzgerald, was the first surf contest held at Uluwatu; the event returned the following two years. It continues to be the site of regional amateur and professional events.

Uluwatu has been featured in dozens of surf films and videos, including 

(2003); the wave is detailed in a number of guidebooks, including 

The Stormrider Surf Guide: Indonesia and the Indian Ocean

 magazine in 1989 named Uluwatu as one of the "25 Best Waves in the World," though by 2013 the break was often overshadowed on "top wave" lists by Padang Padang, a shorter, hollower wave located a few hundred yards to the north.

By 2013, the once-pristine hillside that overlooks Uluwatu was covered with hotels, condos, surf camps, restaurants and stores.

Uluwatu

Subscribe or Login

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews

The Sunday Joint

Videos

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews

The Sunday Joint

Videos