Access to Serangan, a classic spot with lefts and rights of up to 12 feet, has been closed for “infrastructure works” and joins a growing list of spots on the famous island of Bali, Indonesia that have been affected, and in some cases even destroyed, by tourist development.

According to the American website Surfline, based on a statement by Curtis Lowe of the Clean Uluwatu project: “The investors have closed the land access to surfers. Local fishermen can still get through, but they have their own security and the warungs (typical local restaurants) have been demolished.”

Local pro surfer Marlon Gerber said: “They (the developers) just want masses of busloads of Chinese people. Like Pandawa Beach, they want beaches like that because it brings them a lot of cash.” “In Nyang Nyang (near Uluwatu) which had a beautiful rock cliff, it was dug out to build roads that will also carry those buses full of people,” Gerber added.

The website for the project that has banned surfing in Serangan (http://kurakurabali.com/) says it is “designed around a green master plan.” It will fully utilize 500 hectares of the island where Serangan village is located and includes the protection of 3000 meters of reef.

The site will have 9.5km of trams, 80 hectares of parks and mangroves, certified “green” construction. It will also be a vehicle-free site, have its own opera house and headquarters of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, according to its promotional video.

But there is little or no mention of the actions that will be taken to protect the waves from a development of such magnitude.

Surfline also recalls recent cases of closures and damage to waves, such as at a secret spot near Keramas and Nikkos, both of which had a retaining wall built to protect luxury villas and resorts, which significantly affected the quality of the waves.

Mushroom Rock is remembered from magazine covers with John John Florence being listed for the construction of a pier that will surely damage or destroy this wave.

Canggu has plans for a large project that includes the construction of a jetty right at the mouth of the river, and in Mentawais there are plans for a 2369-hectare project with an airport, pier, theme park, zoo and marina, among other attractions.