Keramas Spot Guide

A natural footers antidote in the ‘Land of Lefts’, Keramas is famous for being one of the best high performance waves on the planet. A relatively new addition to the list of Bali’s World Class waves, Keramas has quickly risen to the top of the heap as the region’s most reliable right hander.

Keramas: Located directly in front of the Komune Resort, Keramas is mainly known for its rippable walls and hi-fi surfing but it will also throw up plenty of deep tubes and packs quite a punch, especially once it gets into the overhead range.

The wave breaks over a rock/reef bottom and isn’t particularly long, but it’s a high quality ride from start to finish and is a real crowd pleaser on smaller days, attracting intermediate to pro level surfers

When there’s a five star forecast, don’t expect an empty lineup when you paddle out in the cover of darkness to beat the crowds.

Best size & tide: Keramas is good at any size, but head to overhead is what most people would be chasing. At this size there’ll be tubes, walls, and lips to launch from. Once it gets to double overhead it becomes less predictable with a super sketchy end section to deal with.

An incoming mid to high tide is best for shape and consistency. It’s still surfable on lower tides on a small swell, but it’s a shorter wave that doesn’t peel very reliably and can abruptly closeout over shallow reef.



Carparks: The suitably named Carparks sits front and center of the three breaks at Keramas. This is a much less defined lineup that can dish up thick lipped rights and lefts that often end in a closeout. Sort through the ugly ones and you might just find some tubular gold.

The unpredictable nature of the waves and the often shallow inside section keeps the crowds thin here.

Best size & tide: Small to medium sized swells and a mid-tide are best.

KFC's: Keramas Fried Chicken is what your feet will look like if you walk barefoot along the baking black volcanic sand in the middle of a sunny day from the carpark to KFC’s.

An average to good wave that’s usually less crowded than its neighbours, KFC’s is nothing special but it will probably satisfy your immediate needs, much like its fast food counterpart.

Best size & tide: Small to medium swells on a mid-tide.

Beach Scene: The beach front land at Keramas has changed a lot over the last decade. Natural vegetation and rice fields has largely given way to hotels, with the Komune Resort being the most prominent since it occupies pole position in front of the main wave.

Most of these places - including Komune - offer a place to chill with food and drinks for non-guests. Apart from these places, there’s not a helluva lot else going on and even less shade.

The Reef: The volcanic rock and reef combo isn’t any nastier than most Indo reef set-ups, just ‘average nasty’. There is also the odd urchin but you’ll probably manage to stay unscathed outside of bigger days, low-tides or getting too greedy with a shallow end section.

The Crowds: The crowds at Keramas can be horrendous, and since the best shaped waves break further up the reef, there’s almost always jockeying for the inside position. If you don’t have the temperament for hassling, maybe sit wide for a less walled up wave or head to Carparks or KFC’s.

Best Wind: West to North-West is offshore for all breaks. Keramas can handle some onshore wind and still have enough shape to bust a few moves.

When To Surf: The most reliable winds for Keramas occur during the wet season (November-February), but this also happens to be the least consistent time of year for swell. Shoulder season, March/April & September/October offer a good compromise of more regular swells and the chance of clean early morning conditions.

Watch the best days at Keramas here

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