Playing in Bali Sea and Sand

Swimming on the beach in Bali is definitely apart of the Bali experience.
The coast line varies from wide sandy beaches, cliff faced and rocking out crops, volcanic black sand beaches, white sand and reef locations that are just spectacular.

All beaches have at times potential hazards such as dangerous tidal rips, undertows, and large waves that you must be aware of before entering the water. Even the most experience swimmer can get into trouble with the strong currents.

In the popular southwest part of Bali between Canggu and Kuta there are red flags that indicate DO NOT SWIM as there is a dangerous undertow or tidal rip in that area.
These currents are in some cases extreme and will take you out very quickly if you don’t know or not a confident swimmer. This can make it difficult for a rescue.

The best advice is to avoid rip currents altogether. To reduce the likelihood of getting caught in a rip current, you need to:

• ALWAYS swim between the red and yellow flags;
• ASK THE LIFEGUARD surfers or others on the beach if there are any rips or hazards
• OBSERVE all safety signs;
• OBEY all instructions from the surf lifesavers and lifeguards;
• UNDERSTAND what a rip current is;
• HOW TO SPOT rip currents and look for the common signs such as deeper, darker water and fewer breaking waves; and
• DO NOT swim in or near a rip current

• REMAIN CALM is the most important thing to do
• RAISE YOUR HAND and call out to others near you if possible
• DO NOT PANIC as you will lose strength - number one cause of drownings
• SWIM PARALLEL TO THE BEACH across the rip you will eventually fall out of the water current.
• CONSERVE YOUR ENERGY the waves will assist you back to the beach

There are some life guards on beaches but there is not as many as we would like to see. Listen to them when they whistle to you to get out of the water. There is most likely a dangerous rip or current there.