SurfWG Bali Surf Camp

Well, I'll be honest, it's a mystery to me how the good reviews come about here. I do not know where to start. All in all it was very bad. I can only advise against everyone!

Very nice hostel! The staff is amazing and the food is super delicious! The room was very clean and the bathroom as well. Can't recommend it enough!

The Surf WG is a great surfcamp! I just wanted to stay there for one week and ended up staying there for four weeks. All the surfguides are great, the food is good and the camp is nice and social.

The surf shared apartment is a wonderful place if you're 20 and price-sensitive! I would also recommend it to everyone in this age group.

Honest opinion:

Loosely defines the term surf camp. Wouldn’t recommend for anyone that’s not a beginner. “2 star” can be a wide mix of levels and there are no “3/4 star” sessions given.

The camp is partly a brothel that gives young German girls a story to tell their friends at home and partly average surf guiding. Kinda funny though to watch the girls try to get with the guides but gets repetitive after a couple of days.

The guides do surf a fair bit themselves and you often have to give them the wave at least a few times per session. They do not take tides into consideration and goes out at 7am every weekday and 9am every Saturday/Sunday which I find strange. Sometimes the spots only work for 1h before the tide is too high/low, especially on weekends when you usually get to the spot at 11am with traffic. I’d prefer it if they adapted the times to when the tides are good, maybe leaving 5-6am if that’s necessary for a well-working spot.

Plus side is that the restaurant/camp staff are kind and nice. The prices in the restaurant are reasonable and breakfast is good. Also, massive props to the guide that took me and another guest out in double overhead waves, it was a blast. However, there were supposed to be two guides but one stayed on the beach for some reason. Would have been nice to have both of them in the water with the big waves. Generally had some fun sessions but could have had that with a beach guide tbh.

If you’d like to surf the reefs then they overcharge you on the boat trip (which should be included anyway, i.e. At Kima surf). Other people in the lineup pay 60-70k pp for the boat while the camp people pay 100k pp, even if you go 6 people. Maybe the guides pocket the change, not sure.

For me as a non-German speaker, the social aspect was good. Most people would make an effort and speak English. Although that might be because I wasn’t trying to hang out with the 18 year olds.

After having tried Kima surf in Seminyak before, I think it’s way better value for money there. It’s a bit more expensive but the guiding is better, they give feedback after sessions and actually have sessions for more experienced surfers with boat trips included.

Positive +
*All the local staff (reception, restaurant, cleaning) are very kind and helpful I really appreciate that.
*Rooms are cleaned every day
*The food is amazing
* The location of Surf wg is in a quiet surrounding

But Negative -
*I stayed in a shared room in the "main" villa and it was super loud! You can except music on speaker from 6.30 am and do not except to sleep before 1 am.
* This a house with 95% of young German people that have never surfed before.
*I was in a supposed to be an intermediate surf lesson group.
The surf teacher was just inexistant. No explanation of the spot, no tips on your technique or manoeuvre, nothing. The package also included surf video to analyzed your technique that never happened.
Going to spots without checking tides.
Trips of the boat to go to outer reef is also not included.
I just felt that all the surfing part was a joke!

So if you are are not german and 20 years old, with an intermediate level and rreally want to improve your technique this place is not for you.

I would highly recommend staying here. First, they are incredibly responsive and helpful when you are trying to actually arrange a room or figure out the basics of surfing lessons! That follows through into a wonderful experience where you are given excellent instruction (practically one-on-one) at surfing and live in a peaceful and happy environment. It’s great value for money, and everyone who is staying there is visibly having a great time.

An absolute place of well-being, to which many travelers, like me, return after the first stay, because the slogan of the Surf WG "welcome home" is really lived by the local employees It's a very nice, sociable and family atmosphere in where you quickly meet new people. The surf lessons are carried out with a very good supervision key and are therefore of very high quality. Because of the great support from the surf instructors, I felt like I was making progress in surfing for the first time. The close contact with the local employees on site also contributes to the special atmosphere. Singing together with the surf instructors after the surf sessions and talking to each other lead to a special Bali experience and let you get to know the country and the people better. This contact is one of the most special things about the Surf WG.

We LOVED this place! We stayed for four nights and did their beginner surf course. Every single instructor and staff member were so warm and fun and the overall energy of this place was incredible. They are all great teachers and we felt really well looked after in the hotel and in the waves. We will likely be back

The staff there are absolutely fantastic and make you feel so welcome. Nothing is too much to ask. I was able to leave my big backpack there in a locked storage room while going on an overnight trip to nusa penida. Very clean accomodation as well. Definitely, mostly Germans there so be aware if you are more after a multicultural vibe (nothing wrong with Germans of course they were all lovely). The surf guides are mostly amazing and helped me stand on the soft board on my first day and I even got to ride my first green wave on day 2. The pool sessions can be more or less helpful depending on which guide is holding them. The SurfWG is a bit further out so sometimes going to Kuta means that the drive back can be very long. I sometimes would have loved a little more variety with the surf locations for beginners but I obviously understand that it’s hard to find something suitable that’s not too far away. Anyway, overall I am super happy and can see myself coming back in the future. Big shout out to Nunung who is basically joy in a person.

I have to agree that the camp is really a beautiful place to stay at and the staff was kind, however, if you are looking for a school to learn to surf, chose wisely and rather opt for another one. Otherwise, you'll get promises that might just stay promises.
I choose this camp because I was promised to get 5 lessons in 3 days, but I got hardly three of them. The first was canceled for me because I arrived Saturday around lunchtime (arrival arranged by the surf school) and it was a day-trip day. The second day was a day trip too, but we spent more time chilling at a warung than actually surfing. Moreover, the lesson was cut because one girl had to leave for the airport. But I had paid surf rental for 3 days anyway.
Then I was promised to get lycra before my lesson, but in the morning there were no lycras left. Having known that I would get myself one the day before and could avoid getting badly sunburnt.
Another disadvantage is that each lesson you have a different tutor. It is like starting all over again each time what slows down the progress significantly. I stayed 3 days in Uluwatu before, having the same teacher each day and the difference was really visible.
Also, I have to mention that if you're not a german speaking person, getting around in the camp since the majority of the visitors are from Germany.
I have written my complaints directly to the SurfWG a few days after my stay and got promised a refund for the whole trip due to the bad experience, although I haven't asked for it. It's been over a month since and no refund came, which just supported the fact that you get loads of promises, but hardly any of them fulfilled.

Great hostel. Bit out of the city, but they offer free bikes and short drives when needed. The accommodations are very nice and clean.
It is a surf camp and people really want to surf. Only go here when you feel like that too!
Some teachers were great. Some weren't. But overall definitely worth staying here. Will come back!

This is THE camp in Canggu, Bali. Everything was just great. From accomodation, to the staff, food and the surfguides.

Will definitely come back again!

What an amazing surfcamp. I was there for 9 nights and I just loved it. The staff and the other guests are amazing and I had the time of my life, want def.to go back again.

J'ai beaucoup apprécié séjourner à Surf WG. I loved my stay in Surf WG. Actually this is the third time I go. People and guides are really friendly. The camp is of human-size. You end up knowing all the guests and you feel like home. Need something like a scooter, nice advise for shopping, food or laundry? Everything is available. You just need to ask at the reception and someone will help you out. The camp is ideally located. The guides will take you to the various spots according to your level and the weather. You will never be bored. I would recommend for your trip.

Great surf camp with awesome vibes. The accommodation is clean and modern. WiFi is great. The surf instructors are very helpful and sociable and the rest of the staff on site are always willing to help.

Super cooles Surf camp für beginner und fortgeschrittene. Das Preis Leistungsverhältnis ist absolut top! Die Trainer sind mega hilfsbereit und auch das Personal im coolen cam sowie das Essen ist der Hammer! Jederzeit gerne wieder und mega zum empfehlen!

Liebevoller Service, und gutes und doch preiswertes Surfcamp. Das Essen ist super und man kommt sich vor wie in einer kleinen Familie. Fünf unterscheidliche Surflevels und zwei Sessions pro Tag zu unterschiedlichen Surfspots bieten die Möglichkeit sich täglich neu einzustufen. Pro Session kommen 2 Surflehrer auf maximal 6 Personen. Kostenlose Rollernutzung macht die Lage etwas außerhalb am nördlichen Rand von Canggu wieder wett.

Super safe camp with amazing surroundings, an extraordinarily friendly staff and great surfing coaches.

Sangat bagus. Cocok untuk para pemula. Walaupun kantong masih di setarahkan bule. Tapi terhitung murah dibandingkan tempat surf yg lain. Para guide dan staffnya begitu rama, begitu profesional mengajarkan surfing. Sangat bagus. Rekomendasi lah.

Excellent surf camp with good accommodation and great staff. They do their best to help you feel comfortable. Some surf guides are really helpful and give nice advices to progress.

The camp is nice and staff is very helpful. It is a nice place with a pool and chill area, then a small kitchen area. Really enjoyed the food, the breakfast that you had after surf was delicious, especially the pancakes.

A lot is focused on the surf, which it should be. Beginners get a lot of time in the water.
One of the reasons that I lower the grade is that the structure is enforced even if it is not working really. For example, Morning surf is around 7 even if it not fitted to the tide or swell, so sometimes we left the camp at 7 but didn’t surf until 11. The instructors knew this, but the schedule had to be followed. The two lessons per day is more important to do, rather than have quality in the surf. This works for beginners, but not really for higher levels when you need better waves. In addition, it makes the instructors less motivated because they can’t give the student good conditions.
We stayed at he camp 5 days and we never had the same instructor during the lessons that we had, therefore it was always a start up to get the lessons started. Personally I think this slowed down my progress.

Another good thing to know is that around 90 % of the guest is german speaking, so if you not speaking that language it’s harder to get in to the camp life. Even some of the staff expect you to know German.

The camp should be one of the less expensive ones in Bali, but I still expect a little more for what you pay for.