A tourist in Bali is reportedly missing after he was swept away by a huge wave in the spectacular but extremely dangerous Devil’s Tear cove on Nusa Lembongan while he was taking a selfie.
Kaushal Aditya, a 23-year-old tourist from India, was taking selfies with his friend, 24-year-old Agrawal Kshitiz, on the famed cove yesterday afternoon when a huge wave swept up the unsuspecting pair.
“Agrawal Kshitiz survived with minor injuries, but Kaushal Aditya was dragged into the sea. Witnesses said the victim appeared on the surface before sinking and disappearing,” Denpasar’s Search and Rescue (SAR) Office Chief Hari Adi Purnomo said in a statement yesterday as quoted by Detik.
Kshitiz and Aditya were known to be staying at a villa on the island. A local resident, identified as 31-year-old Ketut Sudiarsa, saw both of them taking selfies on the edge of the cove and being swept away by the wave.
Local residents attempted to search the area around the cove but search efforts were hampered by the strong waves. As of 6pm yesterday, Aditya was still officially missing when rescue officials called off the search temporarily due to the lack of light. Officials also said it was difficult to get search boats close to the cove due to the presence of sharp coral under the water and huge waves.
Devil’s Tear, which faces the Indian Ocean, is a popular tourist destination that is famous for its huge waves. The waves often smash violently against the rocky cove, spraying water and mist around the site, thus giving the tourist hotspot its menacing name.
Many tourists come to Devil’s Tear with the intention of taking pictures or videos with waves spectacularly smashing against the cove as their background. It’s certainly a dangerous spot to stand on when the waves are huge.
Perhaps the most famous Devil’s Tear incident was captured in a viral video from late March, which shows a Chinese tourist with her back facing the water getting submerged in a humongous wave, only to survive with what looked like minor injuries.
It’s called the Devil’s Tear in Indonesia. Many tourists don’t heed the warning to stay away from the wet rocks and never turn your back on the ocean here. She is lucky to be alive. pic.twitter.com/gliFxT8RLl
— mrbrown (@mrbrown) March 17, 2019
In June of last year, a Chinese tourist was killed after he too was swept away by a huge wave while taking selfies at Devil’s Tear.
