Surfers destroying the coral reefs of Bali?

I saw something recently about a coral reef regeneration project in Bali which was needed due to the local tradition of dynamite fishing. This got me thinking about the damage that us surfers do to coral reefs.

Obviously surfing isn't comparable to dynamite fishing in terms of its destruction of coral reefs but if you go to let's say Uluwatu, Balangan or Impossibles, among others, you will no doubt stomp your way out across the reef and break countless heads of coral (albeit small ones) as you go. With the hundreds of surfers doing this every day in Bali, and having done so for the past few decades, it made me wonder just how much coral we have destroyed underfoot, making the phrase 'leave nothing but footprints', which so many surfers pride themselves on, seem rather ironic.

Coral reefs are extremely fragile so it seems that stepping on them constantly cannot be doing them any good, despite most of us claiming to be so eco-friendly.

Any experts out there on coral reefs?

Cheers,

Steve

When surfing I try to avoid the coral as much as possible. It's sharp and will cut your skin easily. Go try walking on the coral and you'll see what I am talking about.

Well avoiding the coral reefs is the best way to preserve them, so as a surfer please try to stay away from them in order to keep Bali as beautiful as it is, and don't forget that you can make many other activities like diving and snorkeling in order to enjoy Bali and entertain yourself at the same time without harming its beauty.

Puzzled about this thread. I surf, and have never walked on coral. You'd slice you feet to ribbons by doing that. Inexperienced scuba divers do much more damage to coral heads than surfers do. Neither causes even a fraction of damage that dynamite fishers and climate change do.

All due respect, by commenting that surfers should try other activities to enjoy Bali like snorkeling or diving shows that you are not a surfer. It's like saying to football player, "You should just do lawn bowling instead." I appreciate the suggestion, but it's just not a realistic solution. Other comments about not stepping on the coral because it's too sharp would be good if it can be avoided. It doesn't always cut and besides, many surfers wear reef booties. Uluwatu is a very special place and when it's big, getting out without destroying some coral is unavoidable. The only way is to not surf there and that's not going to happen. Uluwatu is a world-class wave and very popular.

The good news is that the entrance point at Ulus is very narrow so there is not a large section of reef that gets destroyed. Since coral is a complicated organism the damage can certainly spread, but I doubt it is a major factor within the area.

To the OP, yes, it's unfortunate and I wish there was a solution, but there really isn't at this point. The good news is that it's not a widespread problem at that location. The bad news is that it can be a widespread problem when you factor in all the other coral reefs around the world. I love the topic because it raises awareness and as surfers, we need to be as careful as possible because our sport takes us to some very fragile ecosystems. Thanks for posting.