Bali Police Tighten Boat Checks on Nusa Penida and Lombok Routes

Denpasar — Bali’s water police increased monitoring on routes linking Bali with Nusa Penida, Lombok and Gili Trawangan on Oct. 29 after the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency forecast waves of 2,5 to 4 metres in the Badung and Lombok straits.

The heightened readiness applies to fast boats and traditional boats departing from Tribuana for Nusa Penida and from Padangbai for Lembar, Nusa Penida and Gili Trawangan. Departures must be postponed if the agency issues a high-wave warning and winds exceed 15 knots.

Why the checks matter for island travelers

For foreign visitors and residents, the measure means that a scheduled crossing is not necessarily guaranteed to leave on time when maritime conditions deteriorate. The rule covers the routes named by the Bali water police and is triggered by both an official high-wave warning and winds above the stated threshold.

The forecast covers the Badung Strait and Lombok Strait, waterways used by tourism and inter-island transport. The Bali Regional Directorate of Water and Air Police raised the waters’ status to a readiness posture as a precaution against unsafe conditions.

Independent reporting also described a BMKG warning for Bali waters from Oct. 29 through Nov. 1, including the Badung Strait and northern and southern parts of the Lombok Strait. That broader forecast identified moderate waves of 1,25 to 2,5 metres in several areas, while the Bali water-police report cited the higher 2,5-to-4-metre forecast behind the tighter operational checks.

The departure rule does not state that all services will be suspended for the entire period. It instead requires the specified services to delay sailing when the warning and wind conditions occur.

Sources

• Bali Post — Balinese news outlet
• IDN Times Bali — Indonesian news outlet
• bmkg.go.id