Have the press been mentioning 'Tsunami'? If so, I think maybe they've been getting over excited. I was a tiny bit worried for a few moments at Dreamland, thinking its name doesn't exclude it from being a nightmare but things turned out OK in the end!
Dreamland is a collection of huts just above the high-tide line on a beautiful sandy beach at the boittom of 100 foot sheer cliffs. High-tide produces a vicious shore-break that rears up & dumps anything in its path hard onto the sand. Not the best place to be trapped by the new-moon tide we had on the 18th. Normally this shouldn't be a problem but the surf websites were predicting a big swell to boot. 2 hours before full-tide & the odd wave was reaching the 'terrace' of our 'guesthouse' (2 rattan walled rooms). 1 hour before high-tide & the terrace was getting regularly flooded. Never mind, we could still escape up to our rooms. 2 steps up that is! Fortunately when the seas had taken the sand from in front of us thy had exposed some gnarly rocks which saved us from the worst of the action.
Others weren't so lucky. The warung next door had its roof supports broken & its roof collapsed. The wall between it & the next place along was all but knocked over - it was demolished later. Further up the beach 'Robbie's Place' was entirely washed away - chairs, tables, parasols, gas bottles, coconuts & everything bouncing around in the surf.
We helped as best we could, moving stuff as far back from the sea as possible, propping rooves etc. but mostly keeping everyone calm & smiling.
Within 2 hours of the tide backing off the damage had been knocked straight or knocked straight into the sea & things were looking more normal.
Off we went & watched Uluwatu being surfed by crazy folk. The waves were at least 12 foot. It is an awesome place, one I don't think I'll ever be good enough to surf but one I could watch all day.
We'd already decided to move on the next day & it looked like a good decision - we left about 3 hours before high-tide & it was already looking like a re-run of the day before, hopefully no worse.
Now I'm in Ubud, away from the coast while the surf's too big for me & I'm experiencing a whole different vibe. More travllery than surfy, more German than Australian, but still the constant offer of T-shirts, taxis & motorbikes.