Water sports can be hazardous in Bali

This last week in Bali 2 tourists died while enjoying water sports. The first was a 40 year old Australian who was rescued from drowning on Kuta beach. He was hit by large waves while swimming, and though revived by life guards, passed away at BIMC in Kuta.

The second fatality was a Taiwanese tourist diving in shallow water on Nusa Lembongan. Kao Chin Hsien (42), felt unwell and suffered a heart attack while diving. Bali does have some great water sports, including some of the best surfing in the world. The danger for most tourists is getting caught in a current whiel swimming and being dragged into big surf. If you do find yourself unable to get back to shore, do not panic. Try to swim diagonally back to the beach, NOT straight in. Usually riptides are not that wide and you can swim out of them. If you have small kids, be very careful about letting them play in the water, if you are aware of strong surf. THe besty places to takw young kids to the beach is Nusa Dua and Sanur, as the waves break off the reef and not straight not the beach.