A British tourist is feared drowned after he was swept away at a beach in Bali.
Harrison Edward Nada Kontounas, 23, was swimming with two friends when a strong current dragged him away at Legian Beach on Wednesday afternoon.
He and his friends had been swimming in a red flag area, which indicates a section where entering the water is prohibited due to dangerous conditions such as riptides.
His friends made it back to shore, but Mr Kontounas did not as he battled against wind speeds of 30km/h.
‘We urge you to be careful when engaging in outdoor activities, including beach tourism,’ the Head of the Denpasar Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas), I Nyoman Sidakarya said on Wednesday night local time.
‘We received a report at 18.40 WITA, that a foreigner had drowned from Mr Ipel, Balawiata Kuta, then five personnel were dispatched to the location.
‘Our initial step is to coordinate with witnesses and other SAR elements. If he is not found tomorrow morning (today), we can determine our next action plan.
Authorities searched the land along the coastline for Kontounas, but conditions did not allow for deployment of search and rescue equipment in the water.
A friend of Kontounas posted a message on a Facebook group for Australians travelling to Bali, asking for help finding him: ‘Close friend was swept out to sea by a riptide today from Kuta beach at 5pm local time. He has not been found.’
Kuta Beach is next to Legian Beach.
There were many social media posts warning of how dangerous the beaches in that area can be.
‘Even swimming between the lifesaver flags you will get rips. Kuta just isn’t safe for swimmers,’ one person wrote.
Another said: ‘According to the locals it’s not just the rip dragging you along, it’s also the very strong undertow and whirlpool that can pull you under.’
Witness Abbey Maree wrote: ‘It was a heartbreaking afternoon on the beach watching lifeguards searching for hours to find him.’
‘The water was so rough at the time. I was hoping they’d bring in a few more jet skis or boats to search, perhaps a helicopter, but sadly they just don’t operate like we do back home.
‘My heart bleeds for his friends and family and everyone else on the beach helping to find him.’
