Bali Green Surf School

With surfing being one of the main sporting activities on the island, it’s no shock that there are a lot of surfing schools around. The Bali Green Surf School, based on Jalan Drupadi No9, Seminyak is one that focuses on keeping smiles on the surfers and locals alike, aiming to build your skills if you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced surfer. Mr. Ketut Widi Artawan started Bali Green in 2013 with his brother Komang Mickey. As well as helping with your surf skills they started a charity program helping to improve the living conditions of homeless and orphaned children in Bali from Denpasar to Lovina. So with all this going on at the surf school we thought it would be a good idea to sit down with Ketut and find out more.
Hey Ketut, tell us a little about how this all started?
Well I’ve always liked to surf and my brother and I thought it would be a good idea to help others enjoy the passion we love so much. We also wanted to help out the community, keeping Bali green and making sure that some of our profits go towards those who need it.
What kind of charity do you run?
Bali is my home and I want to make a difference and help the less fortunate. We give donations to orphanages all around the island; providing food, clothes, toys and school supplies. Apart from the donations we also teach the kids English to give them a higher chance of getting a job here. We also organize a variety of activities every Sunday including beach games and surf lessons. Also we try to create awareness, throwing parties, beach clean ups and surf contests. We then donate the winnings to the orphanages.
Tell us about the surf school
We run a range of different programs. Our motto is to actually make sure that by the end of our classes you know how to go out to the ocean and surf on your own, no matter your experience level. Our classes run every day or at least when the surf is suitable. It’s on when it’s on!
And the surf camps?
We have week-long surf camps, depending on your level of course. If you are a beginner, we build your confidence up and take you to the locations we know are safe and fun for you. Our trips start here and go all the way to Lombok and Turtle Island (starting from $345 US), including accommodation and some food. Depending on what they want to surf, normally we take the more experienced surfers to Canggu and Balangan but we are happy to take them anywhere they want. In Lombok we work with Drop In, providing our guests with accommodation.
Any last words?
Keep Bali green and surf’s up!
www.baligreensurf.net