“Where Is This Going?”: Long Before Becoming a Global Trend, Secret Surfing Wonders of Bali Were Explored by Mr. Pipeline & Co.

The surfing legend and the man who pioneered the Banzai Pipeline with his short board and etched his name in the weighty tome of surfing- that’s Gerry Lopez. Regarded as Mr. Pipeline, Lopez is recognized as one of the most prominent surfing icons in the sporting realm. He is a surfer, surfboard shaper, writer, and actor, who rose to fame through his ‘aggressive surfing’ methodologies. More so, during his traveling spree around the globe, he discovered some of the best wave havens, which now have become famous surfing destinations. One such wave hoard is situated in the embrace of Bali, Indonesia, and is called Uluwatu.

In 2022, the Patagonia film banner released a documentary based on the incredible life of Hawaiian surfing legend Gerry Lopez. The movie, ‘The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez’ touches all the alcoves of Mr. Pipeline’s life. From his surfing praxis to his spree of popularizing yoga across the continents, the documentary has covered it all. It also explores his travels to Indonesia and the discovery of the legendary surfing spot, Uluwatu.

A detour led Gerry Lopez to discover the iconic surfing spot at the Island of Gods

In the documentary based on his life, Lopez pulled off the curtains from his incredible discovery of Uluwatu. Mr. Pipeline visited the Kuta village with his surfing companions. They loaded their surfboards in a Toyota truck and set on their voyage to visit Kuta beach to catch some waves. During their short trip to the beach, they witnessed a series of spectacles.

They stopped at one location that captured their attention the moment they set their eyes on it. Bewildered, Lopez contemplated at that point, “where is this going?”, and started their journey. The trail, where they halted, was surrounded by the trees from all sides. Following this, they decided to tow their surfboards by hand and started walking through the trail.

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However, they got lost in the maze of cactus habitations and were walking in circles for almost an hour. After an extended period of time, they spotted two other surfers, who turned out to be Mike Boyum and Bill Boyum. The Boyum brothers took Lopez and his companions with them to the track that led to Uluwatu.

Describing the path leading toward the surf spot, one of Lopez’s companions stated, “To get into the surf, you have to walk down the hill into this ravine that had a little drop-off, and a little bamboo ladder. About three big bamboo poles together that you have to tightrope your way down with your board and get into this cave and paddle out”.

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That’s it, and like that, they discovered the surfing haven of Uluwatu. Expressing his elation, Mr. Pipeline called the place, “this is dreamy as surf could be”.