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One of the highlights of visiting Indonesia is the huge expanse of endless blues. And if you love water sports, then you can plan your entire visit around the numerous beaches that are not just beautiful to laze in, but also offer excellent opportunities for water sports. Your island adventure cannot be complete unless you participate in some thrilling water sports, and take home memories that will continue to excite you even when you’re back.
Our list here tries to capture the most fantastic spots for water sports. Combine your love for the sea, the beaches, and endless waves for a holiday of a lifetime, and experience wanderlust with these magnificent water bodies.
Pandawa Beach is known far and wide for its beauty alone, with its smooth white sand and waters in brilliant shades of blue. But there is so much more that the beach has to offer. Is anyone up for canoeing? You can spend hours riding the waves and getting dunked in the water as the sea plays along with you. An exhilarating time awaits you in this buzzing beach most popular with local and international tourists. Once you are done canoeing, you can chill under the massive umbrellas until you’re ready for your next adventure.
TanjungBenoa is quite up in the popularity ranking among locals as well as international tourists. With a five kilometres long coastline, it is an excellent spot for a bit of water sports. Since it’s quite the mainstream destination, you will find quality vendors here, each vying you with various sporting activities. What’s your adventure quotient? Do you like the typical water sports like the banana boat or flying fish? Or are you adventurous enough to try your hand with extreme and innovative sports, such as flyboarding and scuba diving?
Then, there are some travellers who like to pamper themselves, and look for the most comfortable and luxurious hotels and resorts to stay in. Luckily, you can enjoy both, luxury as well as adventure sports, since most hotels and resorts in Nusa Dua provide guests with the option to enjoy various water sport activities. And the best part is that a few of these beach facilities welcome everyone. Thus, you can enjoy them even if you’re staying elsewhere. There are a lot of options for you to choose from. You can start slow on the deceptively-easy banana boat and donut boat, and gradually move up the danger ride to go water-skiing, jet skiing, flying fish or even try parasailing.
Ever wanted to walk on the ocean floor and get really close to marine life? Head over to Nusa Dua and ask for the sea walking tour and prepare to get blown away. Get into your swimsuit and allow your sea walk guide to explain to everyone, how the exciting adventure is carried out. Everyone gets a special helmet that lets you breathe as normally as possible, without having a pipe in your mouth. The helmet has a wide glass front, giving you a wide-angle view of the amazing underwater life, which you can see even with your glasses or your contacts on.
Another exciting underwater activity you can try your hands at is snorkelling. Book your tour a day in advance and head out for hours of fun and adventure. Most snorkelling tours will arrange to pick you up from your hotel and take you to the snorkelling site. Stop a moment to admire the mesmerising beach with its white sands and clear water, as you get ready to enjoy life underwater. You will be provided with all snorkelling equipment and, after a few basic instructions, you can head out into the water to begin your snorkelling experience. The underwater life in Indonesia is beautiful, and it is filled with colourful coral, and a wide range of fish, squid, sea turtles, and reef sharks.
Ever tried scuba diving? At Tulamben you can, near the site of the USS Liberty shipwreck. There are certified experts waiting to help you get a truly unique underwater experience here. Simply book yourself on the USS Liberty Shipwreck scuba diving tour, and let the water do the rest. Don’t worry if you’ve never gone scuba diving before; this dive is easy enough for beginners and at the same time, it is challenging for advanced divers. You choose the excitement level that you are most comfortable with. Spend 35 minutes under water and explore the shipwreck and the marine life that now inhabits its quarters.
Everyone is familiar with the term surfing but what exactly is kite surfing and are you sure that it’s a beach activity? Head to Sanur, in southeast Bali, to find out more! The beach is a hotspot for tourists and you will find a host of exciting activities there, one of which is kite surfing. Here you ride (or should we say, attempt to ride!) the waves not just with a regular surfboard, but also with a kite attached to you. Despite what it looks like, this sport is rather popular, even among beginners because the weather is relatively calm at Sanur and the winds smooth.
Let’s move away from beaches for a bit and head inwards, towards the middle of the island, to Ubud. The region boasts of many excellent rivers that are just perfect for adventurous rafting experiences. Ayung River is possibly the most popular spot for rafting in Ubud. On your rafting trip, you can feast your eyes on spectacular views of jungles, waterfalls, and even wildlife. Monkeys are accustomed to tourists and if you’re lucky, they’ll make an appearance, hopping among the branches. What’s your adventure quotient? Do you prefer a gentle rafting experience or a more adventurous one? Let the organisers know and they’ll plan it just right for you.
Another white water rafting destination is the TelagaWaja River. The rapids on this course are moderate and thus, you can enjoy a thrilling rafting experience. And it’s perfectly fine if you’ve never gone rafting before. The 14-kilometre stretch will take you three hours to cross and along the way you will be treated to amazing vistas of exotic locales. Villages, lush green rice fields, and mountains will give you company as you wind your way along the river’s bends and turns.
This small island is relatively less popular and is a great alternative to busy beaches if you wish to avoid the crowds. You can plan an intimate day out with the family here and also enjoy a host of water sports like swimming, snorkelling, diving, and stand-up paddling, among others. If you wish, you can also head inland and explore the island’s mangrove forest and cliffside jungles.
Thinking of a trip to Indonesia? Put time aside and make sure you get your adrenaline pumping with these thrilling water sports. So, which ones of these ten are you thinking of visiting first?
