Watch: Insane Wipeouts from Uluwatu Mega Swell

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Nov 15, 2024 2:22 PM ET

As one of the most popular surf spots on the already uber-popular Bukit Peninsula in Bali, Uluwatu can see its fair share of crowds. From the Racetrack to Temples to The Bombie, Ulus can often be a jumbled mess of surfers looking to score a ride (and tube) to themselves. Good luck on that one.

However, all that can change when things get big.

The wave can handle at bigger size – like up to 15 feet – and with that, the crowd tends to thin out. There are, nonetheless, heroes that will paddle (or tow) at that size, and, as can be imagined, the bigger it is, the worse the wipeouts can be. Below, check out a handful of recent bad ones.

The clip comes from Sea n Surf Bali, who called it: “Top 7 Near-Death Ride[s] [During] Mega Swell Uluwatu 2024.” For further info, here’s the description:

“I am truly Greatfull [sic] for all the opportunity to shoot right at the biggest swell of the month at Uluwatu & i Filmed so many amazing warriors out there in the ocean. Here is my recap for all the near-death rides with some hold time in the water. Let's gooooo!!”

A lot of the clips do show some lengthy hold-downs, like the one coming in at number one. An unidentified surfer drops in on a bomb, sets their line, then straightens out, and gets swallowed by the whitewater. Their pink board tombstoning in the turbulence; the surfer nowhere to be seen.

In the end it was only 15 seconds underwater. However, as any surfer will know, that can seem like a lifetime. Just goes to show, you never know when marine reaper may be lurking.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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