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Impossibles

As the name suggests, this isn’t the most reliable wave on the island. But with a less than perfect shaped reef comes the chance to score a less crowded lineup.

Have you ever seen mind bending photos of Impossibles with lines stacked to the horizon? Lineup photos do lie sometimes, and Impossibles is probably the biggest offender on the Bukit when it comes to this. On most days, the wave will race along the reef offering just enough time to pump through a few sections before finally outrunning its passenger. This scenario is by far the most common, but the flipside to this flaw is it’s almost always less crowded than neighbouring waves like Uluwatu or Bingin.

Every now and then the pace of the wave will slow down enough to allow you to thrown down some turns on a slopey wall and link through for hundreds of meters. The Impossibles reef stretches for more than 500 meters, with three main take off zones; The top of the reef next to Padang Padang, the middle section and the end of the reef towards Bingin.

Best size & tide: Impossibles doesn’t get as much swell as Uluwatu but is generally bigger than Bingin. Lower end of the tide offers the best shaped waves and the bigger the swell the better.

Beach Scene

The cliff directly in front of the wave at Impossibles is a sheer drop, so there’s not much apart from some villas at the top of the cliff. You’ll most likely enter from the Northern end at Bingin or the Southern end at Padang Padang. Both these access points have cafes and warungs where you’ll be able to leave your belongings while you surf, as long as you buy a drink or some food.

The Reef

A lot of waves end with a closeout, sometimes quite close to shore and in very shallow water depending on the tide and what section of the reef you're surfing. If you don't want to risk a visit to the reef, don't get too greedy and kick out before being forced to straighten out over the inside section.

Access

Be prepared for a bunch of steps down/up the cliff and a decent walk/paddle to and from the lineup. It’s one of the most time consuming breaks to surf on the Bukit, but this is another reason why it’s less crowded.

The whole break can be seen from the cliff at Bingin, which is where you’ll want to enter if you want to surf the last section. There’s a channel between this section and Bingin, a long but easy paddle out from here.

You can also get down the cliff in front of the middle section, but you’ll have to punch straight through the lineup. A better option is to park at Padang Padang and paddle through the channel at the very top of the reef.

Best Wind

➡️↘️ East - South East

When To Surf Here

Impossibles will often have waves during the dry season (April-October), but because it doesn’t really start to link up until it’s head high or bigger, the best months are between May and September.