Tragedy Strikes Bali Beach Again: Tourists Urged To Listen To Safety Officers

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Tourists visiting Bali are being urged to listen to the warnings given by lifeguards on duty at popular resort beaches.

The news comes as an American citizen has drowned off Double Six Beach in Seminyak this weekend. 

A Californian man with the initials RGF died on Friday evening after swimming at Double Six Beach in Seminyak.

The beach is one of the most popular coastal resorts in Bali and is a famous spot for both swimming and surfing.

However, the beach is known to receive high, strong and unpredictable waves and have a strong undercurrent.

This is why lifeguads and surf rescue teams are often on duty and a flag safety system in place. 

@easyjourneybali Double Six Beach in Seminyak Bali from the top! Beautiful beach for sunset! Lots of options for sunset drinks! #seminyak #bali #sunsetbeach #beach #sunsetlover #canggu ♬ Tak Pantas Terluka Band Version by Reza Zulfikar – Reza Zulfikar

Speaking to reporters after the incident, local tourism officer Wayan Budiarta said that the man was on vacation with his family.

Prior to the incident, RGF is said to have “been given a warning not to swim too far in the middle considering that the waves at Double Six Beach were quite big and high.”

Reports from the scene suggest that RGF was swimming as far as 300m away from the shoreline despite the advice.

Budiarta said, “The victim had been in the water for 15 minutes before being rescued. The foreigner was already unconscious when he was evacuated to land. He was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.”

@luuu.ccy Bali sunsets 🌅 #bali #sunset #legian #seminyak #doublesixbeachbali #2023 #fyp ♬ take a moment to breathe. – normal the kid

This is the second tourist death on Seminyak’s Double Six Beach this month.

On vacation with his family at the resort, an Indonesian grandfather was swept out to sea when swimming in the shallows of Double Six Beach at around 7 pm.

The man, known by his initials YSB, had also been warned by his family to return to shore after conditions in the water appeared to be turning. 

In an instant, YSB was pulled from sight and desired the best efforts of a search and rescue mission by Bali’s leading disaster agencies; YSB lost his life to the water. 

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It is not only on Bali’s Double Six Beach where tourists must adhere to warnings and the advice of lifeguards and concerned local residents.

A viral video on Instagram shows a shockingly narrow escape for two tourists on Nusa Penida’s iconic Kelingking Beach.

The video was first shared online in April 2023, though it is circulating on IG Stories once again, serving as an all too timely reminder to tourists to take warnings seriously. 

Tourists are not permitted to swim at Kelingking Beach, and it is highly advisable not to swim on the island’s Diamond Beach either.

Much like Seminyak Beach, the waves at Kelingking Beach are strong, high, and unpredictable, and the undercurrent at Kelingking Beach is far stronger and washes back far quicker, especially at high tide. 

In the video, two tourists can be seen attempting to ‘brave’ the incoming wave that picks up considerable height right at the last moment before crashing down with fierce strength, engulfing the tourist in the whitewash and, thankfully, on this occasion, bringing him into shore rather than dragging him under.

Much like at Double Six Beach, over the years, dozens of tourists have had to be rescued by teams from Nusa Penida at Kelingking Beach, and there have been too many tragic incidences where tourists have not returned to land alive.

While extreme weather warnings in Bali have eased for this week, tourists are reminded that this week marks a full moon, which naturally affects the tides and can lead to bigger swells and sometimes tidal waves along the southern coast of Bali. 

No matter how confident a swimmer or surfer is, tourists must always honor the flag warning system at Bali’s beaches.

If there is no flag system in place or lifeguards on duty, do not enter the water before checking with local people or tour guides about where it is and isn’t safe to swim.