Bali, Indonesia is literally famous for it's surf and skate spots and when you spend enough time there and know the right places to head to, life really does feel straight out of a movie. I've been lucky enough to spend some time there and even consider it somewhere that feels like home to me so I thought I would take you through some of my favourite spots.
Going to live in Bali for a few months by myself in 2021 is the example that I use to people all the time when trying to explain that as long as you have your Rollerskates and a good attitude you will find community and making friendships easy wherever you go in the world.
Finding a skatepark is EASY in Bali and genuinely the Island is home to some of the coolest skateparks i've ever seen and the concrete in them is always so beautifully smooth. All my Irish skaters you know the pain of how terrible it can get over here. However finding a spot to dance skate in Bali is pretty much just as tricky as in Ireland of course without the issue of rarely being able to head to outside spots. So in 2021 fresh off the flight I decided to just google search Rollerskating in Bali which quickly led me to the SWB Bali instagram page where I discovered the islands beautiful and growing rollerskate community.
So I guess this brings me onto my first spot - Loco By Nature. Now, sadly the last ever skate night at Loco happened recently and even from such a distance I felt the pain. But I wanted to mention this space anyway both because of the fond memories that I have there but also because the SWB Bali crew are working on a new location for the skate night so be sure to follow them for everything that is up and coming for the community. You can also rent skates at the skate night for just 50K meaning you can give it a try for the first time or if you didn't travel with your skates you can still skate anyways!
Loco was LOCO! It was the first place I ever roller skated in Bali - it was the place where I met all of my best friends on the Island and a place that no matter WHAT I was unavailable to do anything on Tuesdays on Bali because that was skate night. So shout out Loco for all the memories and I can't wait to see where the new SWB spot is going to be! Loco will always hold a special place in the Bali rollerskaters hearts but I am sure what is coming next is going to be better than ever before so make sure you're following @swb.bali for the latest!
Moving up to Ubud we are gonna head to Titi Batu! Now this place is a bit of a hidden gem because it is actually part of a family club/community centre but has a little skatepark inside! I know I said I was talking flat spots but the good thing about Titi batu is the skate park is usually pretty quiet meaning theres lots of space to practice on the flat but also if you like baby ramps like me you can play around on those too! Right beside the skatepark is also a basket ball court which is ideal to skate on once it is empty! I am almost sure the entry is only around 100k (6Euros).
Next up is Komune in Keramas - I know I am being the worst dance skate spot scout ever but I can't leave this place out because it is one of the coolest places I have skated! This super vibrant bowl is huge and even for me who is usually strictly just a dance skater irresistibly fun to roll around! The great thing is that it is also so big that you can even play around having some fun in the flat once nobody else is there! Now there is just one downside - you can only really skate here on Mondays as they have the kids club in the same area throughout other days of the week and technically you're supposed to be staying at the hotel or at least eating in the beach club to skate the bowl! With that being said - it is on a beautiful beach with great surf so if you're traveling Bali and decide to ditch the budget and go boujee for a few nights but still want that surf and skate lifestyle this place should be number one on your list!
Moving onto my favourite surf spot - I am sorry that for now I only have one! Hopefully when I get back I will have a list of more places for you!
Like most people who haven't surfed since they were in college (me) or even people who have never surfed at all, when I arrived in Bali for the first time I just headed straight for Batu Balong and started doing some surf lessons there, which was FINE don't get me wrong but the line up was also pretty much always pretty crowded and that was during the time when the boarders were still closed so it is definitely a lot more crowded than that now days! As a beginner crowds can be scary and as someone more intermediate or advanced crowds can be frustrating. This time around I surfed on Kedungu beach - it is about a 20 min drive from Canggu, and the main break allows you to surf the left or the right as well as having a nice channel to help with the paddle out! The local surf shack has super fun and friendly instructors and the overall vibe is just a lot more laid back than Canggu! Be sure to add it to your list of places to surf in Bali no matter what your level is!
I am going to leave you with those for now! There is lots of other places that I have in mind but I either haven't checked them out yet myself or haven't been in over two years so don't want to report on them until i refresh my memory!
But my biggest tip for skating in Bali is hooking up with the locals at SWB Bali and for surfing - especially if you're a more nervous surfer like me, just book a lesson! Every surf instructor i've had in Bali have always become my friends! You're guaranteed a good time!
P.S RESPECT THE ISLAND!