I have always had a deep passion for water sports, especially for kayaking. I find kayaking to be relaxing and at the same time a healthy activity as it involves energy and sweat. Apart from that, I think kayaking in perfect if you want to witness beautiful panoramas like seashores, mountains, people and the sea itself. Therefore, in any sea destination I have visited in Malaysia or in Asia, I have surely been out kayaking. And I assure you the choice of water sports in Bali have nothing to envy to other Asian destinations.
Once on the island, the first thing I asked my guide Mr. Tude was about where I could kayak, and he was so kind to take me immediately to the water sports area, even if the beach he took us too was not originally in his scheduled tour of the island.
Preparing to Kayak at Pantai Pandawa
So, are you an adventurous person who like water sports, and are you looking for water sports activities while in Bali? In the miraculously beautiful land of Bali there are two places I would highly recommend for water sports activities. One is Tanjung Benoa and the other Pantai Pandawa. However, if you are not a local Indonesian, make sure you bring extra money as their most preferred currency is US Dollar, and water sports cost you some of those greens.
Tanjung Benoa is located at the southeastern tip of Bali, opposite the Nusa Dua area. This place can be reach by motorcycle, car, van or bus. Tanjung Benoa is a 35 minutes drive from Kuta, 40 minutes from Sanur and just 20 from Bali airport. The road to Tanjung Benoa is lined with several of nice resort.
Why was Tanjung Benoa chosen for sport activities? According to the staff there, the reason is the stagnant water, as opposed to Kuta Beach, Sanur and Uluwatu area, and it was true, the sea looked so calm.
Water sports price range here is more valuable than elsewhere. If you are Asian, look like a local and can speak Bahasa, you can get lower price… Cheeky. Jokes apart, your tour guide can help you get the best price. Also, the more water sports you book, the better the price gets.
This jet sky was soooo cool
So, what kind of water sports can be found in Tanjung Benoa? There are more than 10 activities available to visitors: sea walker, jet sky, parasailing, banana boat, scuba diving, snorkelling, glass-bottom, boat tour to turtle island, flying fish, rolling donut and wake board. SOme are quite common, other less, so let me tell you about those.
First of all Sea Walking, which is walking underwater using a demand helmet that allows you to breathe underwater. It is almost similar to be in a glass bottom, but with the difference that as a sea walker you can fell the sea creatures nearer to you. To do sea walking, you do not need any special licence, so take advantage and try it.
The water sport called Flying Fish consists in using a rubber boat that resembles a real flying fish. The capacity of the boat is 3 people including the instructor, who sits in the middle to balance the movement when the flying fish is in the sky. There are 3 options: lying down like in a sleeping position, sitting as in horseback or as riding a motorcycle. A boat will pull the flying fish up to the sky, to a safe maximum height of two meters, and from the shore it will look like a kite. It is a very new activity I had never seen before, so a try is highly suggested.
Teaming on the banana boat
As for me, in Tanjung Benoa I tried banana boat and jet sky, which I found amusing. Tanjung Benoa whole beach is filled with water sports operators. I can say that Bali, after Thailand and Vietnam, is the place in Asia with most water sports activities. If you plan to spend your time on the beach trying these things, make sure you get there at 8am since after 3pm the water starts to recede and is no longer suitable for any water sports.
Let’s now move to Pantai Pandawa, which is the only place where I found kayaking available. Pantai Pandawa is like a secret beach due to its location behind a high white cliff. Located in the village of Kutuh in Southern Bali, Pantai Pandawa is a one hour drive from Ngurah Rai Airport. It is easy to spot as it has five carved statues along the sea road: Yudhistira, Bima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sadewa, siblings who, according to our tour guide, are there to protect the sea.
Kayaking at Pantai Pandawa
I first looked at the beach and went “wow”! The beach area is so broad and from far, the water sparkles like diamonds in the blue; it looked like an unexplored territory. In fact there were only a few people swimming there. Most were sitting and enjoying the beautiful scenery in the chair provided.
Kayaking in these waters was a real treat for my cousin Ajoy and I. Before leaving, the local coast guard advised us to not go to far. And as we paddled, it was such a wonderful feeling being in the middle of the sea, only the two of us and our kayak. And if we looked at the sea, we could make out the bottom, so crystal clear the water was. Bali sea is so fantastic. The coast guard was right though, after a while the waves got higher and stronger and it was time to return to the beach. These waves, I though, are perfect for water board.
Bali is a water sports paradise, and I invite you to visit and try all the above activities. Happy water sports in Bali!
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