Ekas Bay in December is the smart wet-season Lombok surf trip — Inside Ekas keeps working, camps open at low-season rates, holiday-season quiet.
December at Ekas Bay is full wet season — onshore westerlies, 300mm of rain, Outside Ekas mostly done. But Inside Ekas continues to work reliably for beginner-intermediate surfers, and camps stay open at off-season rates. Christmas and New Year crowds happen at Senggigi, the Gilis, and Kuta — Ekas remains quiet. Smart wet-season family surf trip option.
# Ekas Bay in December: Wet-Season Surf with Christmas Quiet
December at Ekas Bay is the deepest part of wet season. The monsoon trough is parked over the Indonesian archipelago. Onshore west winds blow daily. Outside Ekas and Playgrounds are essentially shut for the season. Rainfall reaches 300mm across 20 days.
But Inside Ekas continues its year-round role as the bay's most consistent wave. Camps stay open at off-season pricing. And the Christmas-New Year holiday crowds that dominate Senggigi, the Gili Islands, and Kuta don't reach Ekas — making this a quiet holiday-season retreat option for surfing families.
For a wet-season Lombok surf trip with Christmas-New Year overlap, Ekas is the right base.
Wind: West winds dominate. The trade-wind pattern that makes peak season is gone until April. Mornings can occasionally be light but onshore by midday is the norm.
Swell: SW pulses are rare and small. Most swells reaching Lombok in December are 3-4ft with short period. Outside Ekas almost never breaks properly.
Rainfall: 300mm across 20 days. Storms build daily through afternoons. Mornings are sometimes clear, afternoons are usually wet, evenings clear up.
Combined: Inside Ekas working most days, everything else essentially closed.
The wave continues its year-round consistency:
This is the bay's signature: a wave that keeps producing rideable sessions for beginners and intermediates regardless of season. December is the proof.
Both essentially done for the season. Maybe 1-2 working days in the entire month. Not a planning factor for December trips.
All major Ekas surf camps stay open at heavily discounted off-season rates. Typical December rates: 500k-1M IDR per night for double rooms with bathrooms; 350k-700k for shared dorms.
The camps that operate year-round at Ekas have full staffing, normal food service, and standard operations through December. Generator reliability is normal (better than at Desert Point where wet-season generators struggle). Wi-fi works at most camps.
The camp scene is quiet but consistent. Beginner-intermediate surf-school students dominate. A few families taking advantage of off-season pricing for Christmas-New Year stays. The occasional independent surfer using Ekas as a year-round base.
December is Indonesian school holiday peak — but most Indonesian holiday tourism goes to Bali, not Lombok. Lombok's Christmas-New Year crowds concentrate at:
Ekas remains quiet. The Christmas-New Year buzz doesn't reach the bay.
For families wanting holiday-season buzz mixed with quiet:
Best of both worlds: surf training and rest at Ekas, holiday celebrations elsewhere on the island.
Continues on standard pattern. 75 minutes each way. Particularly useful in December for accessing Kuta restaurant Christmas-New Year specials and Bau Nyale-related preparations (festival happens Feb-Mar).
December becomes one of the strongest months for family Ekas trips:
For families with mixed surf-and-non-surf interests visiting during December school holidays, Ekas is a strong option.
Inside Ekas: 5-12 surfers typical day. Maybe 15 on busier Christmas-New Year weeks if more family groups arrive.
Outside Ekas: Usually empty.
Playgrounds: Usually empty.
Genuinely uncrowded surf throughout December.
Wet-season runoff at peak. Visibility 5-10m on calm days vs the 25-30m of peak season. Reduced quality but still workable for casual snorkelling.
December is forgiving on board choice:
No step-up needed for most December trips. Reef-safe sunscreen, heavy rain shell, strong bug repellent.
Ekas in December doesn't require significant advance booking — except Christmas-New Year specifically.
For 24 December - 5 January dates: book 4-6 weeks ahead. This is when family groups and holiday-season travellers arrive in slightly larger numbers, and popular family-friendly camps fill.
For other December dates: 1-2 weeks ahead works for any room. Last-minute (3-7 days) bookings are fine.
For each, the answer is wait for May-September.
Same logic as November:
For wet-season Lombok surf with holiday-season overlap, Ekas is the answer.
January continues the wet-season pattern. Bau Nyale festival arrives in February or early March. April starts the build back. May is when peak planning becomes worth doing again.
December at Ekas is the year-round operations advantage at its most useful. Inside reliable, camps open, Christmas-New Year quiet. Use it.
December at Ekas is the smart wet-season family trip on Lombok. Inside Ekas works for kids learning to surf, the camps stay open at off-season pricing, and the Christmas-New Year crowds happen elsewhere on the island. If you want holiday-season buzz, take the daily Kuta shuttle for evening dinners or use a private driver to Senggigi for New Year's Eve. Then return to a quiet cliff-top room. Best of both worlds — surf training in the morning, holiday celebrations elsewhere in the evening, calm sleep.