If you tried to go to the idyllic Gili islands yesterday via fast boat, you were probably out of luck.
Dozens of fast boats that usually take tourists from Padang Bai, Bali to Gili Trawangan, West Lombok could be seen tethered on the beach yesterday instead of in motion.
I Nyoman Sudana, a fast boat staff in Padang Bai told Tribun Bali that he did not make any crossings over to Gili yesterday due to warnings issued by Padang Bai Port Authority (KSOP) because of bad weather.
It’s possible we won’t be operating for the next four days since the waves are quite high, Sudana told Tribun.
The head of Padang Bai KSOP I Ketut Aryadana acknowledges these conditions. “Fast boat crossings we have delayed for awhile. This is for the safety of passengers,” he said, as quoted by Tribun.
Fast boat crossings from Padang Bai to Gili T will be reopened when weather conditions return to normal. Waves in Lombok have reportedly reached up to three meters. According to data from Indonesia’s Bureau of Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG), waves around the Lombok strait reach one to three meters.
Head of the Karangasem branch of the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) I Kadek Deni says even fishermen have not been going out to see in those waters because the weather has just been so unfriendly.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
