Search And Rescue Mission For Bali Tourist Missing At Sea Extended 

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Search and Rescue teams in Bali have been ordered to extend their search mission to locate a missing Russian tourist.

The Russian Embassy has requested that Bali’s Search and Rescue teams, known locally as Basarnas, extend the search for three more days after a 36-year-old Russian national went on a mission for the coast of Amed.

A 36-year-old Russian national, known by his initials SE, went missing off the coast of Amed during a fishing trip on Thursday, 17th April 2025. A search and rescue effort was immediately launched to locate the missing tourist and has been diligently carried out for the last seven days.

As is standard protocol in Indonesia, searches are called to a close after seven days if the individual is not found or if there is insufficient evidence to continue the search. 

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The Coordinator of the Karangasem Basarnas Search and Rescue Post, I Gusti Ngurah Eka Wiadnyana, told reporters “The Russian Embassy has just sent a letter of request to extend the search process for the Russian citizen.”

The search restarted again on Thursday morning and will continue for three days. In the last week, poor weather conditions off the coast of Amed in East Bali have made the Search and Rescue Team’s mission even harder. High waves, strong winds, heavy rains, and lightning have all hindered their work. 

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Wiadnyana explained “Hopefully, during the extended search there will be a miracle and the victim can be found.” Local reports suggest that SE headed out to go fishing off the coast of Amed in a traditional junkung boat alone.

Fishermen from Seraya Timur Village found the juking boat without a crew and reported the incident to local police and the Karangasem Basarnas teams.

Tourists in Bali are reminded that while the waters around the island often appear calm and inviting, the ocean is a dangerous place to navigate. Every year, dozens of tourists are killed or injured in Bali’s waters, and no swim zones are in place across the province to help keep tourists safe. 

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No-swim zones include iconic tourist attractions such as Kelingking Beach and Diamond Beach in Nusa Penida, and there are warnings across the province for tourists to be extremely mindful of where and when they enter the water.

While no-swim zones are always to be respected, there are other areas where such bans are not in place but where the water is still dangerous. Even at Seminyak’s Double Six Beach, a resort popular with young families, there is often a dangerous rip current that has pulled many tourists far out to sea in an instant. 

Tourists need to be aware of not only the high waves and dangerous currents while on Bali’s beaches and snorkeling, diving, or fishing, but also the dangers of coral beds.

Earlier this month, a Russian tourist visiting Padangbai in East Bali was evacuated from the beach by the local police and Karangasem Basarnas teams after she slipped and fell from a rock while taking a selfie. 

In a situation that quickly escalated from a slight loss of balance after being hit by a high wave as she posed on the rock, the 27-year-old known by her initials AA, was knocked into the shallow waters and directly onto the coral bed below.

The Head of Public Relations of Karangasem Police, Iptu I Gede Sukadana, told reporters at the time “As a result of the incident, the victim suffered a tear wound on the upper right side of the head and a blister wound on the right thigh. The condition at that time was in a conscious state.”

Tourists should be extremely cautious when entering the ocean in Bali and even walking along the shorelines.

Tourists must also ensure that they have fully comprehensive travel insurance before arriving on the island, and understand exactly what their policy covers in the event of accidents and emergency health care.