New Safety Measures Will Be Introduced At Bali’s Most Dangerous Beach

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Tourism leaders in Bali are taking action to help make Bali’s most dangerous beach a little safer for tourists.

Kelingking Beach, on Nusa Penida, is easily the province’s most dangerous stretch of coastline, having claimed the lives of dozens of people over the last ten years. 

Community leaders and tourism stakeholders in Nusa Penida have confirmed that they will be placing safety officers on Kelingking Beach following yet another tourist death in the area.

Swimming at Kelingking Beach and even paddling in the shadows are not recommended, but despite signage and instructions from tour guides, tourists still enter the water on a regular basis.

While the crystal clear waters off Kelingking Beach look enticing, the reality is that this stretch of coastline is incredibly dangerous and unpredictable.

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Most of the time, the visibly high and strong waves are a sufficient deterrent to tourists who consider disobeying the safety advice, but when the water appears calmer, real trouble comes knocking. It is never safe to enter the water at Kelingking Beach, not even when the water appears calm.

There is a strong, persistent, and unpredictable undercurrent across the shoreline that can quickly make those who enter the water, even the most shallow of depths, lose their footing and be quickly dragged under the water and far out to sea. 

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A spokesman for the Klungkung Tourism Office has confirmed plans to place officers in accident-prone destinations in Nusa Penida, one of which is Kelingking Beach.

The Head of the Klungkung Tourism Office, Ni Made Suliastiwati, said that she had installed safety fences and warning boards on several beaches in Nusa Penida, which have a high risk of accidents. 

Suliastiwati told reporters, “We have installed warning and swimming prohibition signs. We will increase this by placing security officers in vulnerable destinations.”

Attractions where officers will be stationed include Devil Tear Beach, Kelingking Beach, Angel Billabong, Diamond, and Broken Beach.

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The new safety system comes just weeks after a tourist lost their life off Kelingking Beach, having ignored warnings from his tour guide and the safety signage in the area.

30-year-old AAJA, from Qatar, was visiting Kelingking Beach with a group of friends.

Three of the group chose to enter the water and quickly got swept out to see. A huge search and rescue effort was immediately launched, and while two of the tourists were rescued from the water alive and with survivable injuries, AAJA drowned minutes after he was overcome by the waves. 

Tragically, this is not the first incident of its kind on Kelingking Beach, with reports of tourists getting swept out to sea or even killed on this stretch of coast hitting the headlines every couple of months, sometimes even more frequently in the high season. 

Leaders in Nusa Penida have long been vocal about their commitment to making the island’s most popular attractions safer for tourists and have taken steps to do so.

However, it seems that the only way to ensure that tourists will obey the rules is to station officers at these destinations to communicate clearly what is and isn’t safe to do.

Kelingking Beach is not the only unsafe natural attraction in Nusa Penida. Tourists have died and been injured at Angel’s Billabong, Devil Tear, and Diamond Beach.

While the panoramic vistas and coastline around Nusa Penida are undeniably beautiful, they are also raw, wild, and rugged.

Tourists who wish to explore these areas must pay close attention to their surroundings and the actions of other people in their space and honor the safety instructions shared by safety officers, tour guides, attraction staff, and local community members who go out of their way to keep tourists safe and alive. 

Suliastiwati did not confirm when the new safety officers will be deployed at Devil Tear Beach, Kelingking Beach, Angel Billabong, Diamond, and Broken Beach, though tourists are reminded that it is not safe to enter the water at any of these sites at any time.