Balian surf forecast
Balian is a rivermouth in West Bali where long, easy walls peel mostly left over smooth boulders. It picks up swell from the south to the west and rarely goes flat.
Balian surf report, hour by hour
The table shows swell, wind and tide for each hour at Balian Rivermouth. Swell forecasts like this are for open water near the shore, and breaking waves can come in smaller. Balian works best from about 1.2 to 2.5 m.
Updated 15:58next run 20:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
06:00–09:00 · glassy
Today 3 Nov
Worth it 06-08, clean head-high, cross-offshore E.
Best window: 06:00–08:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 02:30
- Low
- 09:42
- High
- 16:45
- Low
- 22:30
- Sunrise
- 05:51
- Sunset
- 18:16
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Worth it 06-09, clean overhead, cross-offshore E.
Best window: 06:00–09:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 04:30
- Low
- 11:23
- High
- 18:12
- Sunrise
- 05:50
- Sunset
- 18:16
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Go 06-08, clean head-high, offshore ENE.
Best window: 06:00–08:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 00:30
- High
- 06:24
- Low
- 12:30
- High
- 19:01
- Sunrise
- 05:50
- Sunset
- 18:16
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Go 06-09, clean head-high, glassy.
Kiwi's best shot: 06:00–09:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 01:30
- High
- 07:30
- Low
- 13:22
- High
- 19:42
- Sunrise
- 05:50
- Sunset
- 18:16
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Balian (-8.504, 114.964). Waves = estimated breaking height at the beach. Data: Open-Meteo wave and weather models (CC BY 4.0). Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Surf at your own risk.
Watch the wind column first. Balian is offshore in a north-east wind. The trade winds blow cross-onshore in both seasons, so the calm early hours are usually the cleanest.
Surfing Balian: the waves
Balian has rights and lefts that break along a boulder bottom and a shingle bank. The lefts are longer and more common, because south and south-west swells bend around the boulder bank. Heavy rain can shift the boulders, so the banks change from time to time.
The lefts
Boulder rivermouthIntermediateThis is the main wave at Balian: a long, easy wave that breaks like a point. It suits surfers who are moving past beginner level and intermediates, and good surfers enjoy it as a fun, playful wall.
Lower tide makes the wave quicker and better for turns. High tide is softer, because the wave breaks in deeper water. Sources: indonesiansurfguide.com
The rights
Rivermouth peakMore powerThe rights can have more punch than the lefts. They often close out as they run back towards the river mouth.
Check them after heavy rain, when the banks can line up some very good rights. Sources: indonesiansurfguide.com
What Balian needs to fire
These are the exact rules behind Kiwi's rating for this spot. Every hour of the forecast is scored on all four, then turned into a rating of 1 to 5 stars.
Swell
South to west swells
Balian faces south-west and takes swell from the south round to the west. South and south-west swells give the longest lefts.
Wind
North-east is offshore
The cleanest wind at Balian blows from the north-east. Last December the wind was offshore 87% of the time.
Tide
Mid to high tide
Our model rates mid to high tide best at Balian. It breaks on all tides, and lower tide gives a faster wave.
Size
Best at 1.2–2.5 m
Below about 0.8 m it is too small, and the ideal range is 1.2 to 2.5 m. Above about 3.5 m it gets too big.
Shortcut: a 1.2–2.5 m south-west swell, a north-east wind and a mid to high tide is the Balian recipe.
The best months to surf Balian
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Balian's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Mar–AprThe most reliable stretch
April is the strongest month in our data: 67% of days rate 4 or more, and every day rates at least 3. March is also good, with 39% of days at 4 or more.
May–OctBigger but less often clean
Average size rises to about 2.1–2.5 m from June to October, but only 13–20% of days in those months rate 4 or more, against 32% in May. Big swells can turn Balian into a washing machine, so smaller days are often better.
Nov–DecSecond good window
November rates 4 or more on 60% of days, and December on 48%, with an average size around 1.9 m.
Jan–FebSofter, more mixed
January rates 4 or more on 29% of days, and February drops to 14%. It is still worth checking, because Balian rarely goes flat.
Before you go
Hazards
The boulders get slippery, and at low tide some have barnacles that can cut your feet. Watch where you put your feet on the way in and out.
Expect murky water, rocks, rips and crowds. There have been shark bites here in the past. Sources: indonesiansurfguide.com
Getting there
Head north on Jalan Raya Denpasar – Gilimanuk. Turn towards the coast on Jalan Pantai Balian and follow it to the end. Sources: indonesiansurfguide.com
Parking and paddling out
There is only a little parking at the end of the road, plus a few places to eat and stay.
Paddle out over the rocks and through the lineup, or from the end of the point when the swell is bigger. To come in, ride straight in and pick your way across the boulders. Sources: indonesiansurfguide.com
Crowds and etiquette
One guide rates the crowds 6 out of 10 and localism 4 out of 10. Our setup also lists crowding as a hazard, so share waves and wait your turn. Sources: indonesiansurfguide.com
Water temperature
The sea stays warm all year, from about 27.6°C in August and September to 30.0°C in December.
Best time of day
Go early. Balian likes glassy mornings, and the trade winds turn cross-onshore later. A light onshore wind can still be fun. Sources: indonesiansurfguide.com
After heavy rain
Heavy rain can move the boulders around and change the banks. Check the rights after rain, when they can be very good. Sources: indonesiansurfguide.com
Where the numbers come from
The method
Kiwi takes Open-Meteo's wave and wind models (ECMWF WAM, Météo-France, NOAA GFS and Open-Meteo's best-match blend) at a point about 5 km off Balian. There is no buoy correction here yet: these are the models as they come.
Each hour is scored on the four rules above (swell, wind, tide, size). The stars are calibrated on a full year of data for Indonesia, so 4 stars at Balian is a genuinely good day by that country's standard.
What we can say
The season chart and the stars use the same rules, replayed on the archive: a month marked good was good by these rules, not by a surf report.
Without a buoy nearby, the size at the beach is our model's estimate, not a measurement.
Balian surf questions
Is Balian good for beginners?
Balian suits beginners who are already progressing, plus intermediates. Our setup rates it intermediate and up, because of rocks, rips and murky water.
When is the best time to surf Balian?
April is the best month in our data, followed by November, December and March. Early mornings are usually cleanest, before the trade winds pick up.
How cold is the water in Balian in December?
The water in December is about 30.0°C.
What tide is best at Balian?
Our model rates mid to high tide best. Balian breaks on all tides, with lower tide giving a livelier wave and high tide a softer one.
How big does Balian get before it stops working?
It works best from 1.2 to 2.5 m and gets too big at about 3.5 m. Nothing shelters the spot from big swells, so they can turn it into an unsurfable washing machine.
How do I get to Balian beach?
Drive north on Jalan Raya Denpasar – Gilimanuk, then turn towards the coast on Jalan Pantai Balian. Follow it to the end, where there is a small amount of parking.
Check Balian before you drive
Open the hourly Balian surf forecast for swell, wind and tide. Look for a calm north-east morning before you head to the rivermouth.