Surfing Bingin Beach is all about a lovely left-hand reef break that is one of the more accessible and fun on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula. But there’s loads more in the area…
An introduction to surfing in Bingin Beach
Bingin Beach is one of the many bays – correction: Many mega gorgeous bays – that lie on the western side of Bali’s Bukit Peninsula. That’s the same Bukit Peninsula that gives the world Uluwatu, just so you know. That means you can expect some serious quality in the breaks here, especially when the dry season (also called the winter) swells start firing in from the S and SW channels in the Indian Ocean.
What we really love about surfing Bingin Beach is that it’s a little less imposing than a lot of the spots on the Bukit. You need proverbial balls of steel to make it out to Ulus or Padang Padang on bigger days, and not just cos’ they’re bombs, but also cos’ the crowd is unforgiving. Bingin evokes a more low-key vibe and reminds us a little of the Philippine surf isle of Siargao, with a tight-knit community of returnees who are happy to ply that lovely left hander from morning until night.
Downsides? The hotels fill up fast in dry season and around Christmas, so book as early as you can! And it can get busy at sunset and dawn patrol, with a line up that’s bigger than the queue at the local warung.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Bali
Surfing Bingin Beach at a glance
The good:
- Fantastic left hander
- Consistent spot
- Great vibe in a great little beach town
The bad:
- The line up can get big
- Bingin has gone really expensive in recent years
What’s in this guide to surfing Bingin Beach?
Where is Bingin Beach?
Bingin Beach is roughly half the way down the western side of Bali’s southernmost Bukit Peninsula. Go further from here and you enter the hallowed surf territory of Ulus and Padang Padang. Stay to the north and you’ll be in the honeymoon beach territory of Balangan and Jimbaran. The great news that everywhere mentioned above, Bingin included, is real close to Bali’s only airport – the drive is less than 40 minutes each way and should cost around 200,000 IDR.
A guide to the top Bingin Beach surf spots
Bingin Beach has two spots accessible from the sand. However, it’s also pretty close to some of the other top spots on the Bukit Peninsula, so we’ve listed the whole lot below.
Balangan
Balangan is station one on the Bukit Peninsula for goofy riders looking to taste what southwest Bali is all about. The debate rages on – is it quality or is it just a shadow of the other breaks on the headland. We reckon it’s a mix, because good SW swells with an offshore easterly on low tide can offer some nifty lines at Balangan. Other days it comes in way too direct and heavy and you end up in masses of whitewash with potential broken boards. It’s a rare intermediate break on the reefs here and darn good fun if you know how to handle a more sectiony wave.
Dreamland
Mid-level surfers are drawn to Dreamland like they are drawn to Balangan before it. Here, though, there’s none of the issue with closeouts and you actually get a nice mix of about 3-4 peaks that break very consistently, especially at low tide. Let’s break it down.
- The outside right – A fun A-frame on bigger days that peels into the center of the bay with the potential for a few rips up and down the face of the wave before the submerged reef all but kills any momentum the wave had.
- The outside left – This wedgy peak comes in directly in the middle of the beach out the back and can offer the longest rides in Dreamland on a good day. It needs size to work and preferably nothing outside of the S-SW channel. Great for shortboards and longboards.
- Inside left – Fast, shallow wave that sometimes gets a little hollow. Watch out for the finish here as the rocks are close.
Bingin Beach
There are actually two waves on offer on Bingin Beach but one’s really just the secodary-swell dregs of the first. Let’s focus on the spot that puts the beach on the map. A nigh-on perfect left hander that forms perfectly into a mid-steep drop in and then barrels like clockwork, it’s more like something out of a wave pool than a Balinese reef. It’s that good. The only downside is that the ride is short and the wave never holds as much size as the likes of Ulus down the coast.
The paddle is little over 100 meters from the shore, so there’s almost always someone sitting and waiting at Bingin (like 4-5am waiting!). Top conditions for Bingin are head height or even a touch lower on a E-NE wind and low tide. Beware of the days when Ulu is too big, because the crowd will often hunt north and south and this one’s known as a more protected option.
Impossibles
The name sort of sums up this fickle break on the Bukit. You can actually see it from Bingin and Bingin Beach is actually the best place to paddle out from as the cliff stairs are something else! Then you get the waves. These guys form up on some of the widest shelf of volcanic reef on the island. It’s shallow so the wave sucks and breaks like a bullet in a rifle. Sometimes, and we really do mean SOMETIMES, the period lengthens enough for the break to ease up and you can surf all the way from the outside drop in to the far inside section closer to Bingin, although you’ll almost certainly have to pump real hard to make it. The main hazard is the shallow rock and its resident urchins.
Padang Padang
If you don’t feel confident then stick to the shore to mind surf Padang Padang. This is arguably Bali’s finest wave. A mega-shallow reef picks up the leftover swell pushed north by the Ulu cliffs and the whole thing lips up before turning into a perfect left that can handle serious size. There are days when it’s the ultimate temptress, looking rippable but actually impossible because the tides promise to dump you right on the reef at the end. You need to know when is the right time to get out here, but if you can handle it this could be the ride of your life.
Check out our complete guide to surfing in Padang Padang right now
Uluwatu
Uluwatu is the other jewel in the crown of the Bukit Peninsula. It’s a series of beeft left handers that pull off the reefs in separate drop-in zones that suit a who host of surfers. It’s challenging but also epic dry season stuff.
Check out our complete guide to the surf in Uluwatu right now!
Where to stay when surfing Bingin Beach?
One of the things we love so much about Binging Beach is the town of Bingin itself. It’s developed in a sort of haphazard way, spilling off the cliffs in a series of bamboo-thatch guesthouses and warung. More recently, it’s gone and got some serious style – just check out the uber-cool hotels below…
Pondok Indah Bungalow Bingin
Pondok Indah Bungalow Bingin sit just at the top of the Bingin cliffs, a pleasant 5 minute walk from the waves down the zigzagging path each morning. We love them because they are a touch less fancy than other options in the town, channeling a little of the local Hindu architecture but still offering an enticing swimming pool. Midrange heaven! And good memories!
MODJO Villas Bingin
MODJO Villas Bingin have you covered if you’re after a proper boho-cool Bali stay for groups of between 6-8. They ain’t cheap but they are stunning, with elegant al fresco areas and tropical gardens that master the art of indoor-outdoo living.
Bale Bingin Beachfront Stay
You can get closer to both Impossibles and Bingin’s great left than pretty much anywhere by opting for the Bale Bingin Beachfront Stay. It’s a highly rated option with epic views of the Indian Ocean and a stylish, almost Greek-feel design trend.
Step-by-step guide to planning your Surfing Bingin Beach trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the Surfing Bingin Beach…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): Rent a car If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step five: Enjoy!
For paying for stuff when you’re traveling – Get a Wise borderless card/account. They charge NOTHING for POS payments in any country and have some of the best FX rates around in our humble opinion.
When to surf in Bingin Beach?
Binging Beach follows the same pattern as the rest of the Bukit Peninsula in that the dry season (or winter) months of April-August are the best time to surf. They offer up much more consistent swells in the SW channel and see spots like Impossibles and Binging really do their thing. Offshore winds from the E (trade winds) are also common at this time. The wind can persist into October and November the swell usually slackens a touch, making it a good time for learners and improvers. All that said, we’ve been surfing Binging Beach in December and had zero problems finding great waves, although they were a touch more minature.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
