Uluwatu Beach is a popular surf spot about 1.5 km north of Uluwatu Temple on the Bukit Peninsula (Bali). Whilst surfing here in January 2004 and waiting in the line-up (small surf, only about 3-foot) I saw the back of a Dugong (Dugong dugon) break the surface, about 15 meters away. An hour later when back on the cliff-top I looked down and had clear views of it feeding on the seagrass.
Fast-forward 17 years to July 2021 and I was watching a YouTube surf video on 10-15 foot waves at the same spot and at 1:32 they cut to good views of a dugong surfacing close to shore. A search on YouTube showed other dugong clips from the same area (links below). This cliff-top site is also marked on google maps as “Blue Point Beach”. Wave height does not seem to be a significant concern when they are feeding close to shore.
I don’t recall seeing dugong mentioned in any Bali mammal-watching trip reports but it appears that Uluwatu might be a reliable place to search for them. I have not been to “Delpi Cafe” or “Single Fin Bali” but these and nearby cliff-side restaurants should be a good place to scan from. Uluwatu Cave is more of a deep crevice that surfers walk through to access the waves; there is no bat potential.
iNat (July 2022) shows three dugong sightings in the area but not with precise locations; they probably refer to this site.
Dugong are also reported from Nyang Nyang Beach southeast of Uluwatu Temple.
Location on Google Maps: Blue Point Beach, Pecatu, South Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia.
YouTube links showing Dugong:
Dugong at 1:32-1:40 in “10-15 feet Waves at Uluwatu – RAWFILES – 4k” (15 July 2021):
10-15 feet Waves at Uluwatu – RAWFILES – 4k – YouTube
Dugong at 1:26 in “Waves And Wildlife – Uluwatu – Surfing Bali” dated 9 July 2020: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTdDcO7JKQA
Dugong at 1:15 in “Waves And Wildlife – Uluwatu – Surfing Bali” dated 11 July 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTdDcO7JKQA&t=127s
Dugong at 0:01 in “Plus Size Water Patrol – Uluwatu, 20 August 2020”:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCix8c8h7W0