Big waves affect Indonesian coastline

Large waves continued to crash on Indonesia’s south coast causing damage to wooden structures. Here in Bali today there seemed to be a good sized swell, though nothing frightening. The surf report from Uluwatu looked encouraging. A friend just got back from Lombok today. He said it was awesome, huge waves. Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.

Victims counting losses as authority warns further waves

JAKARTA (JP): Victims of massive high waves, which swept coastal areas across the country, are counting losses, while the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, or BMG, warned Saturday that the waves may still occur within the next three days.

In Garut regency, West Java, residents of Cibalong and Cibaluk beaches said that the waves had damaged dozens of houses, fishing boats and other fishing equipments.

Secretary to Cibalong district head Opin Herdiatna said that the total losses suffered by the residents reached at least Rp 966,000 million (US$109,772).

“We are now still inventing other damages,” Opin was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

High waves, which had occurred since Thursday, hit coastal areas across Indonesia, devastating houses, expelling tourists from beaches, preventing fishermen from going down to the sea, and causing at least one person missing.

In Meulaboh, Aceh province, thousands of houses in 10 villages were swept by massive waves, forcing people fled their houses, Meanwhile, in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta the waves also damaged hundreds of houses and prevented fishermen went fishing.

High waves also hit Bali, West Sumatra, Pelabuhanratu in West Java, Central Java, and Papua. In Pelabuhanratu, hundreds of high wave victims were still in temporary shelters as their houses were stormed by the waves on Saturday.

On Sunday I chatted with a surfer from Australia on Double Six beach. He told me he saw a couple of tourists who were walking on the beach, get knocked over and dragged out by a wave. The woman ended up 200 meters out, the man over 500 meters out, both needing to be rescued. It is amazing how strong the undertow is out here, even on a seemingly shallow sloping beach. So much water gets thrown onto the beach it creates massive force on the way out. Everything turned out okay and the surfer told me down on the Bukit, not many people were surfing as it was too big. Anyway Monday afternoon at Kuta beach people were definitely surfing, my neighbour has been surfing Airport Rights every day this week. About the only thing tourists to Bali would notice right now is the excess sand on Jl. Pantai Kuta. Other than that its lovely sunny weather and the surfing season is beginning, all the more reason to come to Bali.