Tourists drown on Kuta Beach Bali
Three older tourists have drowned on Kuta Beach. This is another example of the power of local currents and the need to be careful. Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
Three Swedish nationals drown in Bali
DENPASAR (Antara): Three Swedish nationals died in a local hospital Friday after being rescued by surf lifesavers from Kuta Beach, Bali.
The dead were identified as Kent Jansen, 61, Anders Davist Lan, 70, and Eva, 58. The identity of a companion who was swimming with the three is yet to be revealed.
An official at the Tourist Security Board, I Ketut Sudiana, said Saturday the four tourists were rescued by his team from Kuta Beach and rushed to a local hospital, where doctors were unable to revive three of them.
A couple of nights ago on the plane from Singapore, I advised a party from Ukraine to be careful while swimming, to ask a local if it was okay to swim and that if they see people surfing in that area, it may not be a good idea to swim.
The entire south coast of Indonesia is subject to strong ocean swell and rip currents. While is can be okay to swim at Kuta, certain places such as Canggu advise people not to swim at all. Same thing in Central Java. Anyway here is a bit more on rip currents and how to survive them.
In Bali if you see a red flag planted in the sand, do not swim there. The area between red/yellow flags is supposed to be watched over by lifeguards.
By Nick | Permalink
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Hi ,We are living in Bali and live in front of where the tourists drown .Very sad here on the beach each day .This area has many rips and most days we have the red flags and no not to swim .So please be aware of the flags and swim only in the red/yellow not just red .On my morning walk today a lifeguard had to run from Padma to tell a Japanese tourist to get out of the water in the same place of the tragic drowning .Swim Safely
Kim
Sounds like they were not rescued by the lifegauards, more likely retrieved from the water.
Its very dangerous there and fat too many tourists drown. Are the lifeguards up to scratch?
I was there when the tragedy happened. It is Kuta beach but at Legian level, where the beach is not much crowded.
About 5 quite elderly people went to the sea, they ignored the red flag thougt it is not clear that the red flag concerns a specific point rather than generic danger for all the beach.
Indeed I was in the water as well, 10 meters beside the flag, but I didn’t go far, I was not swimming but standing on my feet.
The group passed quickly beside me, started swimming and suddenly they were pulled towards the waves, they didn’t really react, didn’t try to swim back or scream or call help, everything happened in few seconds, I didn’t realize what was happening. The last of the group, a lady with a brown hat, started swimming back, she was not managing to beat the current and she panicked, I asked her if she needed help, she said yes, I went there, pulled her back and then swim strong backwards because there where she was I felt pulled strongly by the current.
The lady went back to the beach, she was kind shocked, I told her to ask for help and to specify exactly how many people were still in the water.
The other were swollen by the big waves. 2-3 minutes later 1 Balinese guy with surf board was trying to fight the waves to reach them, and soon after a second guy joined him, they managed to rescue the first person. They went back but the waves were getting bigger and bigger and they couldn’t manage, they were struggling very much against the waves; I could see time to time the others in the waves desperately trying to get back, but it was impossible. A good 10 or maybe 15 minutes later the water scooter arrived and finally got them, one after the other; once on the beach they tried to animate them, I think they did all the possible, then they rush to hospital but it was too late.
Everyday, in that specific point of the beach, there is a man renting beach-beds and umbrellas, he alway shouts to people not to swim there and to move few meters away. That day that man was not there.
In other points of Kuta beach, the most crowded, I have seen boards explaining flag meanings, but there nothing, no info were given in the hotel neither, just the small man there that that day wasn’t there.
i was there that day, and was staying in the same hotel as the people that drowned, please everyone, take notice of flags, and dont swim in the surf. it was very very sad, to witness the distraught members of the family, in the hotel. my deepest sympathies to the family
i talked to a guy today who was there and got them out, he said the 4th guy was resucitated on the beach but the others were DOA after being dragged from out of the rip. the guy was excitedly trying to tell them there were others out there but wasnt speaking english or bahasa so they didnt realize at first there were more people who needed rescue.
the conditions were very dangerous for the rescuers he said, the victims panicked most likely and fought it, trying to swim back towards shore and were overcome. its such a tragic accident,they were in bali for their daughters wedding…
condolences to the family.