Be careful when swimming in Bali

Bali offers sunny skies, friendly people and the ocean. Going surfing or swimming are attractive propositions, but are not without risks. Your 2 biggest risks in Bali are a traffic accident and a swimming accident.

Earlier this month an elderly Dutch couple drowned off of the beach next to Bali Dynasty. They were in a group of 4, got knocked over by a wave and caught in a rip tide. It happens all the time. I got caught in a rip trying to teach my brother in law how to stand up on a surf board. Realizing I was heading out, I had to swim parallel to the beach till I was out of the rip. No big deal, but I knew what to do.

Lifeguards place flags on Kuta beach that indicate where its safe to swim. The area between 2 red flags is ’swimming only’. The area between 2 red / yellow flags is surfing only. The rest is take your pick. Never swim in front of a single red flag, you can guarantee that’s a rip tide. Accidents happens to the nicest people at the most unexpected times.