Ocean Lures

COMO Uma Canggu is best known for its unparalleled access to Bali’s surfing scene, from beginner’s waves to advanced surf safaris exploring hidden breaks. But there’s a surprisingly spiritual side to interacting with Bali’s waves. Here, we take a closer look.

We all feel the lure of the ocean – it’s a primal resonance. Millenia ago, our biological origins sprouted from aquatic organisms. Up to 60 percent of the adult body is still composed of water. Maybe that’s why water has spiritual significance all over the world, from Christians’ holy water to Muslim ‘wudu’ or purification before prayers. In Bali, the Hindu relationship between the divine and water is at its strongest. Here the ocean is associated with Dewi Danu, the mother goddess of water and fertility, of life and all its associated chaos and calm. According to Balinese belief, the ocean can cleanse and purify both the seen and unseen (‘sekala dan niskala’). Every year, thousands of people make their way to the shoreline for the Melasti ceremony, carrying offerings from temples across the island to celebrate the Balinese new year – a kind of rebirth, found in the waves.

Surfing at COMO Uma Canggu is about as close as a secular experience can come to that same feeling of renewal. From the moment you plunge into the waves, board in hand, you’re fully immersed in a power beyond your control. Surfing is about surrendering to nature’s rhythm, then working to move with it. It’s a rite of passage best experienced after a lesson with Tropicsurf, our resort’s on-site luxury surf partner. As a beginner, you’ll start in the resort’s lagoon pool, where you’ll learn to confidently navigate a swell; how to lie on the surfboard, the importance of foot position, balance, turning techniques and turtle rolls.“It’s about building a solid foundation: once you’ve got the hang of the fundamental skills, you’ll find freedom in the ocean”, says Tereza Filipova, head of Tropicsurf at COMO Uma Canggu. 

Once you’re ready to face the waves, you’ll head out with your Tropicsurf instructor to one of the five surf breaks within walking distance of the resort. Just as Balinese rituals display respect and faith for the oceanic mother goddess, you’ll find that surfing demands similar respect for the elements, and faith in your own ability to mimic nature’s rhythms. Once you’ve got to grips with how to stay upright, riding the waves is a powerful rush —  “like meditation, pure joy and adrenaline at the same time”, says Filipova. In a 90-minute lesson with Tropicsurf, a beginner might manage it once, maybe twice. The next time you try, you’ll be more aligned with the flow. With consistent surf lapping along COMO Uma Canggu’s beachfront access, there’s no urgency to get it right straight away. The ocean, with all its possibilities, will be there tomorrow and the next day. 

 “For a sport in which you spend so much time floating out of your depth, surfing is surprisingly grounding,” says Filipova: “there’s a powerful connection when you find your balance, which is both physical and mental.”  She explains the sensation of melding with your environment, how in those few, laser-focused moments when you catch a wave, everything converges. The world narrows to a rush of adrenaline, the technicalities of balance, and the surge and sway of a sport that straddles the eternal dance between chaos and calm. And afterwards? There’s nothing better than a yoga session back at the resort, maintaining a sense of the water’s fluidity as you stretch out tired muscles, while rerooting yourself to the earth beneath your feet.

Tropicsurf caters to individuals’ needs by working through a 100-step progression system, ensuring guests are having fun in a safe learning environment. Book your surf lesson at COMO Uma Canggu.