Badung Bali’s baywatch team, Balawista, is insisting travelers to take caution and be alert around waves in Kuta and Seminyak during this period of bad weather.
“We urge travelers to be cautious and wary of high waves,” Balawista Badung Chairman I Ketut Ipel said in Kuta on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara Bali.
If only the two men who drowned in Seminyak yesterday morning had heard and heeded this warning.
Ipel added that the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has identified peak rainy season as occurring in January and February, which is meant to be accompanied by high waves and strong winds.
Balawista has 24 posts from Kuta to Seminyak, but even with all 168 lifeguards deployed, accidents can still happen and they are still short-handed, Ipel said.
According to the Balawista head, in 2015 alone, there were 104 cases on record of people being swept away by waves and 98 rescues.
“While six died,” he added.
Most of the victims were apparently domestic tourists who were swimming or fishing in deep water when the waves got too big.
