Board for Bali/Indo advice

[andylev]

I'm heading to Bali for 3 months and I'm uncertain of which board to take. I'm doubting whether to take:

A. Hybrid shortboard/fish 6'4"x22"x2.75", fish tail, neutral rocker. My favorite for my local break, but maybe too much volume for Bali.
B. Regular shortboard 6'4"x19"x2.5", round tail, a little more rocker. More beaten up.
C. Both, in this case I would need to buy a special travel bag, as the once i own only fit 1 board.


About me: I'm 175cm, 73kg.
Surfed Bali a couple of years ago (Ulu, Green Bowl) but in February, so I know i will encounter larger waves now.
Intermediate weekend surfer. Not confortable in +overhead waves right now.

[Big H]

You can ride anything here.....so many breaks, so many waves, so many different swell sizes....however, waves that are smaller are absolutely dominated by foamies, surf schools and general kookery......in about 6 weeks the winds will shift, the swells will pick up a bit and be more consistent and you'll learn to be comfortable in overhead waves in a hurry.


Question for you........why would a board have too much volume? What would the board not do well in better waves that would make you want a lower volume at the intermediate level? Just curious what it is that you feel would be better for better waves.

[Big H]

You might think about buying a board here instead.....there is a Facebook page that sells used boards and a ton of shops....boards are cheap and would save you the hassle of traveling with the board.

These are some of mine....I ride knee high to around double OH. Lengths range from 6'4" to 10'4". Ride what you are comfortable with and in conditions you are comfortable in. Also, ride something that you can catch a lot of waves with; lineups are very competitive and you won't get a lot of second chances.

The point is there is no such thing as a "bali board". except maybe the tail shape....common thread running through all of the boards I use is that the boards have puled in tails and tail rocker. Outside of that, surf what you like.

[Big H]

Two examples.....

[andylev]

You can ride anything here.....so many breaks, so many waves, so many different swell sizes....however, waves that are smaller are absolutely dominated by foamies, surf schools and general kookery......in about 6 weeks the winds will shift, the swells will pick up a bit and be more consistent and you'll learn to be comfortable in overhead waves in a hurry.


Question for you........why would a board have too much volume? What would the board not do well in better waves that would make you want a lower volume at the intermediate level? Just curious what it is that you feel would be better for better waves.

Thanks for the answer Big H.

My underlying intuition was that: lot of volume + bigger waves = more speed that i could manage at a intermediate level. But perhaps I got my physics understandings wrong.
Also, the bigger board gives me lot of volume to paddle (good for breaks that are far from shore, as I remember that Ulu was) but difficult for duck diving.

[Big H]

You need a board that you can ride.....forget about duck diving, a non issue in waves the size you are comfortable in. I have an 8’2” board I ride in small to pretty big, out in nearly triple OH in it and I can’t duck dive it at all. You need to be able to catch waves, to be able to beat out the competition, keep up with the sweep, handle long sessions and long paddle outs, and get you into these fast moving waves we have.

Ride what you like and what will accomplish getting you waves.....it is very unforgiving here if you struggle to get a wave without competition.... with others competing you just won’t get a wave. I was out on Sunday and there were literally 100 people over 4 peaks where I was. I moved from peak to peak and managed a wave a set pretty much.....a lot of that wave count had to do with the 8’2”, being able to race back and forth from peak to peak, being able to keep up with the sweep, winning paddle battles, getting in a little outside shorter boards. Anything for an edge.....was hollow and a little overhead that day; turtle rolls, duck dips, punching thru and timing made duck diving a non issue. Good Times