By Jed Smith

On the eve of the World Tour’s return to Bali, serious concerns have been raised over the quality and consistency of the contest locale, Keramas, with at least one local pro claiming it has been reduced to a shadow of its former self by developments along the foreshore.

According to Betet “Da Guy” Merta, the wave can still offer world-class conditions. But the window’s shorter; it is now two peaks instead of one; it no longer holds swells as big as it used to; it sometimes has a left running off it, as well as backwash and lumps in the face; and it forces you to take off wider than before.

“It’s still a good wave,” he says. “Still a fun wave, still pumping for maybe one or two hours — but not pumping all day like before. It looks shorter, and sometimes the wave goes left and right… It’s two peaks now, where before it was only one peak from deeper, from the rock.”

Fellow Bali-based pro Pepen Hendrik also confirmed that the quality of the wave has recently deteriorated. The Komune Resort was built in 2012, just prior to the Championship Tour contest held at the wave. That event saw some of the best waves of the 2013 season, including a perfect 20 heat score for eventual winner Joel Parkinson. And co-owner of the resort, Tony Cannon, (former World Tour surfer Luke Egan is another partner), denied claims that wave quality had deteriorated at Keramas due to his resort development.

“We owe our existence to the wave quality and consistency, and we appreciate being allowed to exist at Keramas greatly,” Cannon said. “We have monitored the wave closely on an almost continuous basis since early 2008. Komune Bali opened in late 2012. At the time of writing we have not seen any reduction in wave quality.”

He did, however, admit that manmade alterations to the all-important river that feeds the wave had been made by a neighboring landowner from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. “The problem with our neighbor to the north started back in 2011, when he tried to build his first seawall,” Cannon said. “The construction wasn’t too good and all the concrete ended up being destroyed. We got approval from the village to clean the mess with an excavator. And then in 2015, the neighbor had another crack at his wall, this time building it four feet thick and three meters high. This one also started to crack badly and fall down at one end.”

The wall’s still there. And Cannon — a civil engineer and coastal engineering graduate — admits it has affected the flow of the river which feeds the wave. “The problem with this wall is that it’s making the rivermouth move in slightly different ways to its normal process,” he said.

The wall is now the subject of a legal dispute between the neighboring landowner and local villagers who are desperate to have the wall removed. “We’re closely monitoring the situation with the help of the ISC (Indonesian Surfing Championship) and the Keramas Boardriders to ensure the wave is protected and are hoping to get a positive resolution one day with our neighbor,” Cannon said.

President of the ISC, since renamed the Asian Surfing Co (ASC), Tipi Jarbrik, conceded the “wave shape” at Keramas had been altered but the wave was as good as ever. “Yes, there is some change in the wave’s shape, but it will not affect the quality,” he wrote via email.

When asked who he thought was responsible, Tipi explained: “What I personally think about the wave in Keramas is that there are lots of factors that can affect wave quality. I’m not sure if we can point any fingers to any one person or one thing, but of course the easiest way is to blame someone or something.”

Along with Keramas, several other waves in Bali are facing increasing pressure from nearby developments. The world-class righthand reefbreak at Nikkos, also on Bali’s East Coast, has been significantly affected by a breakwall built next to the takeoff zone.

“They definitely put a 200-yard breakwall over the best section of the wave, along the reef,” Bali-based Hawaiian pro Mikala Jones told Surfline. “That was nuts.”

Another hollow, world-class righthander (which will remain nameless) located a short distance from Keramas has been affected by a seawall built along the shoreline to protect coastal properties from erosion and rising sea levels. As has the righthand reef at Canggu, formerly used as the backup venue for the World Junior Contest.

When asked whether he was aware of any damage to the contest site at Keramas, 11-time World Champ Kelly Slater said he wasn’t aware of any, though given what he’s seen transpire on the island in recent years, it was more than possible. “I would assume they don’t have the same environmental studies or coastal commissions as many other countries,” Slater said. “The rules would be seemingly a bit more lax, but I honestly don’t know the extent.”

With Keramas added to the Championship Tour schedule this year, and Fiji being lost, there is added pressure on the event to produce world-class conditions. When asked if they were concerned about the quality of the waves, the WSL said no.

“The WSL are working closely with crew on the ground and are excited about this year’s Bali Pro at Keramas,” said spokesperson, Dave Prodan.