Bali… the land of sunsets, surf and shaking islands

Our third trip to Bali started with a late night flight into Denpasar and a three hour taxi to our accommodation on the west coast near Medewi.
We were woken by the ground literally shaking under our feet and a roar in the air. A quick surf check and an angry ocean that resembled a massive washing machine as solid 12-15 foot waves thundered into the beach.
It was awe inspiring and we spent much of the rest of the day in cafes overlooking the beach checking out the largest swell to hit Bali in over 30 years. Further down the coast, everywhere the surf was huge. Beaches in Kuta were closed while at the famed Uluwatu surfers were calling the monster waves rolling down the point anywhere from 20-30 feet, depending on who you talked to.
It was crazy and although Bali gets big waves this was another level and parts of the south coast started to resemble North Shore Hawaii such was the size and power of the ocean hitting this small island paradise.
The big surf didn’t go away and hung around for the next two weeks with waves ranging from 6-12 feet most days on all the breaks facing south. This played havoc with surfers looking for a fun wave as they cruised the coast looking for waves both smaller and rideable.
The huge surf also played havoc with the Gili Islands as fast boats and ferries stayed in port during the big swells. Many people took to flying to Lombok to get to the famed Gili Islands while we were lucky and managed to get a boat to Gili Air in between days of huge surf.
Our last few days on Gili Air were magic. No surf but great sunsets, amazing food and great snorkeling between the three Gili Islands.
Our last night was memorable. We had just completed a stunning Italian dinner at Classico Italiano at 7.45pm when the earthquake struck and suddenly our world was quite literally turned upside down. For 12 seconds the ground rumbled and shook violently throwing everyone around while buildings collapsed and fell around us.
It was frightening and the beginning of a long night in the dark as this beautiful little island was hit with two more major quakes and over 120 aftershocks.
So that was our holiday to Bali… confronted by massive surf the day we arrived and massive earthquakes for the last few days on Gili and Lombok.
Byron Bay is looking good for our family holiday next year!
Written by John Foss