Tidal Swells At Bali’s Most Beautiful Beaches Pose Risk To Tourists

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Search and Rescue Teams in Bali have been searching for a Chinese national who was swept out to sea from Nyang-Nyang Beach in Uluwatu on Sunday, 16th March 2025.

The tragedy comes as more high waves are forecast across Bali’s waters and as tourists are reminded that tidal swells and rip tides pose a huge risk to life, even at Bali’s most beautiful beaches. 

Bali’s Search and Rescue Teams conducted a search for over 24 hours to locate a missing 69-year-old Chinese tourist who was reported to have been swept out into open water from Nyang-Nyang Beach in Uluwatu on Sunday morning.

The Head of Denpasar Search and Assistance Office, I Nyoman Sidakarya, told reporters “We received information about the incident of one missing foreign citizen swept away by the current at Nyang-Nyang Beach at 09.20 and we immediately moved 8 personnel to the location.” The search continued over the coastland areas and the open ocean.

Though Barsarnas, the Bali Search and Rescue Teams have yet to issue an updated public statement regarding the case, anecdotal reports from community members in Uluwatu suggest that a body has now been recovered from the water. 

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Swimming and paddling at Nyang-Nyang Beach is always urged to be practiced with great caution, though there is very limited information signage and instructions to tourists in the area.

The incident at Nyang-Nyang Beach comes just days after a tourist was rescued from the water after being swept from the shoreline by a tidal current at Nusa Penida’s Diamond Beach. 

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Diamond Beach, like Kelingking Beach, is strictly a no-swim zone. However, this rule is ignored by tourists time and time again. While the latest rescue mission was a success and the individual returned to shore unscathed, this is not always the case.

Over the last 5 years, more than a dozen tourists have died after being swept away by tidal swells, high waves, and rip currents along the shorelines of Nusa Penida and even from the coast of mainland Bali. 

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Both incidents are all too timely reminders to tourists that the waters off Bali’s most beautiful beaches can be deadly. No matter how enticing the crystal clear waters may be at Bali’s no-swim beaches, the rules must be obeyed.

If in doubt, don’t enter the water. There are some stretches of coastline in Bali that are only appropriate for surfing only, not swimming. In these locations the surf community knows the safe stretches of coastline from which to paddle out from. Tourists should not take the presence of surfers in the water as an unquestionable signal that it is safe to swim. Always check first. 

It is also highly advisable to stay up to date with the latest weather forecasts and wave height predictions while on vacation in Bali. Updates can be found on the Bali Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency Instagram account.

The latest wave height updates from 18th March – 21st March 2025 show that wave heights around the southern coast of Bali can reach up to 1.25-2.5m with wind speeds of up to 23 knots.

As Bali Province transitions from the monsoon season to dry season, the general public have been advised of unpredictable conditions. Typically speaking the monsoon season in Bali arrives in late November and is present through to mid-April, with the season starting to turn in late March time. 

Speaking to the media last week the Head of the Bali Climatology Station, Aminudin Al Roniri, explained “The beginning of the dry season in Bali is predicted to occur at the earliest in mid to late March, namely in the Nusa Penida area, then the last to enter the dry season is the central Bali region, which is [official] in mid-May.”

He revealed, “What needs to be watched out for in the transition season is the potential for extreme weather such as heavy rains that occur in a short and sudden time, which can be accompanied by strong winds and lightning.”