I first found out about Toro Toro a few years earlier but had never surfed it until this trip. We were staying at Jerman Beach, south of Kuta, for five days and the swell was way up and a little above my limits as far as the Airport and Kuta Reefs were concerned. From what I had read and heard about Toro Toro, it was a much more forgiving wave protected from the big ocean swells and the place to go when surfing the Airport and Kuta reefs were not an option.
I had also been surfing Nusa Lembongan and The Bukit the previous ten days in some pretty serious conditions, so I was looking forward to surfing some fun waves without my heart being in my mouth every time a set approached and having to worry about getting absolutely annihilated.
I was also looking forward to meeting up with my Sardinian friend, Andrea, who was also in Bali, to come along on the adventure.
Who said there are no rights on the west coast…?
Being quite a distance from shore, to score the best conditions, you need little to no wind. Although it handles the southeast trade winds relatively well, the early mornings are paradise. Like most reefs around Bali, we figured a mid-tide would be the safest bet. It sits on a volcanic rock shelf and although the reef can still bite you, it is a little deeper and more forgiving than a lot of the other reefs around Bali. Lucky for us, the mid-tide fell in the morning, giving us a good chance of scoring some glassy conditions before the trade winds kicked in.
We met up at 7.00am at Jerman Beach where the boats leave from. My wife and I were staying right on Jerman beach so it was just a short stroll down to the boat guys waiting to take us out to the reefs. Ask for ‘Orangutang’ and you will be well looked after.
As you have probably learnt by now, you can get dropped off and organise for the guys to pick you up later or pay a little extra and have them wait in the channel for you. As we were surfing a good twenty minute boat ride around the other side of the airport, we decided to pay them extra and have them wait in the channel. Sometimes, around certain spots in Bali, when the waves are huge, I’ll pay them a little extra to wait in the channel regardless, just in case I feel I need to make a ‘quick escape’…
For a couple of these sessions at Toro Toro, I also had the privilege of having my wife in the boat taking photos which was an added bonus. Then, after your session, you get dropped back on the beach, stepping off onto the sand.
Reunited again.
On our way.
Andrea and I hadn’t seen each other since the last time we caught up which was one year earlier at the exact same spot we were standing. That time, we had surfed perfect Airport Lefts together for days on end, as you would have read about earlier. So, we reunited on this first morning and had a quick chat before deciding it was time to go and find some waves.
The tide was still fairly low but our captain navigated well over the shallow reef to get us out to deeper water. We then continued around the tip of the airport runway where we could see and feel the ocean swells moving underneath the boat, realising just how much swell was around. At one point we had a huge plane flying directly above us as it actually came in to land on the runway and when I say right above us, I mean right above us! A couple of times we saw huge swells approaching and started thinking they may break on us but you have to place full confidence in the captain as this is what these guys do, day in and day out. That said, you can still feel a little uncomfortable in the bigger swells. This certainly made us feel confident that enough swell would be getting into the well protected Toro Toro.
We passed Airport Rights and as we got closer to Toro Toro from behind, we could see waves breaking. The excitement started kick in. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of surfing a new spot for the first time. Especially a spot you have known about for a long time.
The boat pulled up out the back and we leaped off and paddled into the lineup. Once we disembarked, the boat headed around to the channel on the inside of the wave. There appeared to be quite a few surfers out but at a closer glance, it was mainly leaner riders and Balinese surf schools. With the swell being so big, Toro Toro was one of the only options for them. They were mainly sitting on the inside section and weren’t taking the bigger sets. Everyone was in high spirits and they were certainly no hindrance to us.
The boat waiting in the safety of the channel.
Taking off on the first wave, I had no idea quite what to expect. I had only seen the wave from behind as the boat dropped us off out the back. It’s very different when you can view a wave from the land and watch the lineup for a while before paddling out.
It was a relatively easy drop down the face before a long righthand wall lined up allowing me to rip into it. With each wave, we got more in tune with the spot and started getting better waves as we put ourselves in better positions and learned the characteristics of the waves. After only about an hour or so, the trade winds came up and the waves weren’t offering quite as much perfection. What we did notice was that when we arrived, though it was not even midtide, there was quite a lot of water covering the reef. We figured we could actually surf it at a much lower tide. This would also mean we could get on it earlier before the wind came up.
So, the next morning we headed out earlier. In fact, over the next three mornings we headed out earlier than the day before with the tide being lower each time. Motoring out at sunrise, we would arrive to perfect waves in super glassy conditions and with fewer people out. It never got huge, mostly staying around headhigh sets, but was so much fun. Like I mentioned before, it was a real relief not having that feeling of panic set in every time a set approached.
So, there you have it, another virgin surf, another new spot ticked off. It really took the four sessions to get Toro Toro wired. You need to learn the takeoff spots, the currents, the sections to surf, when to surf it and basically the whole personality of the wave. It takes a few sessions to figure all this out. Over the first few surfs, every wave teaches you something, but now I feel I have a much better understanding of its rhythm and behaviour. However, having said that, I am certain its mood changes drastically when it doubles in size…
Toro Toro is certainly not normally as heavy as its neighbouring reefs but it can still pack a punch.
The very next day, after I flew home, my mate Andrea surfed it with just two other surfers. It was well overhead and he managed to get three waves in just forty five minutes before the size and energy became just a little too intense for his liking. I saw some footage of this day and it looked awesome!
I can’t wait to surf it again next year and hopefully a little bigger, if the swell allows. We are planning a seven night stay here as there are so many accessible options around the area. If not, we will be back at my old favourites, Airport Lefts or Airport Rights.
One thing is for sure, there are plenty of options around this area, no matter the size of the swell and no matter your surfing ability.
But, as always in Bali, the trick is knowing where and when to go on any given day.
