Matt "Cuddles" Cuddihy, surfer extraordinaire, thrill seeker, deep thinker (Not sure about this one but it sounds good) and Deus family member has been over in the Bali these past weeks hanging out at the Temple and surfing Canggu waves. What was ostensibly a trip to pick up a new Deus Custom board turned into a bit of a Bali travelogue. First time visitor to these shores. The crew were super amped to have him here and took it upon themselves to be his tour guide and take him on a couple of excursions around this beautiful island. But the clock wound down and this morning, his last day on the island, we found that he'd been harbouring a secret wish. He hadn't surfed the Bukit, something he'd wanted to do for as long as he'd surfed.
For those of you not in the know, the Bukit is the boot of Bali. The area of land south of the airport. Home to famous breaks like Uluwatu and Padang-Padang. We had overlooked it. We took him to our hidey-holes and forgotten what it's like to come here for the first time. What is it they say about familiarity? Basically we'd blown it. But we weren't going to leave it that way. Mind you it was mid morning and we had our work cut out for us.
A small band headed south just on the midday sun. Traffic played havoc, as is our daily grind. Sweat, horns, cermonies and an ever changing vista played on high rotation of the car windows until we pulled into the carpark on a hill of a well known left hander. The time was nigh. Daylight was slipping away but we had made it. By the time he walked across the White sand beach and plunged into the crystal clear water. The sun was starting to gather momentum as it fell for the horizon.
Cuddles is definitely a quiet achiever, but he's also somewhat of a maverick. Interesting mix. Charges though he goes about it without any pomp and ceremony. No surprise to us then, as we sat on the hill taking in one of the best sunset views Bali has on offer, to see him ripping rights on this well known left. The past of least resistance is definitely not his style
Penning this he will be wandering about the duty free shops. By the time most of you read it, he will be home in Noosa. Matt we had a great time. We so hope you did to. You are truly one of the sports gentlemen. Please come and visit again soon.
