Strong winds badly affect water sports
Strong winds badly affect water sports
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
The torrential rains and the strong winds which have been
affecting Bali since early this month have badly affected the
province's tourism industry, particularly the marine and water
sports sector.
The bad weather has been partly caused by two tropical
cyclones, Chris and Claudia, which emerged in the northern part
of Australia in the early part and the middle of February.
The two cyclones produced thick clouds and downpours in the
Javanese, Balinese and Nusa Tenggara waters.
In Bali, the cyclones produced waves of between three and four
meters in height.
The unfavorable conditions have badly affected the province's
marine and water sports industry, including surfing, diving and
snorkeling, the main pillars of the province's tourist industry.
Numerous weather-related cancellations have caused a massive
90 percent decrease in the monthly revenue of water sports
operators, and simultaneously hold out poor prospects for the
future of some 3,000 people working in the industry.
"We are experiencing huge losses this month. We have been
receiving cancellations almost on a daily basis. Water sports are
outdoor activities, so, naturally, they are very sensitive to
weather conditions," complained the chairman of the Bali chapter
of the Association of Water Sports Operators (Gahawisri), Yos
Amerta, said here on Wednesday.
Separately, water sports firm Ena Dive's operations manager I
Wayan Rena told a similar story. He revealed that on Tuesday
morning he had to cancel a dolphin-spotting tour, which had
already been booked by four foreign visitors, due to the heavy
rain and poor visibility at the destination.
"Canceling a tour or an event causes significant financial
losses as we have already made all the preparations, such as
lunch boxes and the diving equipment for the customers," Yos
Amerta said.
Gahawisri currently has around 130 members, which offer
various water sports activities, such as diving, rafting,
snorkeling, parasailing, dolphin-spotting, fishing, and banana
boat riding. Most of these providers are based on the island's
prime beaches of Nusa Dua, Sanur, Kuta, and Tulamben.
The chief forecaster with the Bali branch of the Meteorology
and Geophysics Agency (BMG), Koesbagyo, predicted that Southern
Bali was, and still is, experiencing rain and winds which were
above the normal level.
In 2001, rainfall amounted to 370 mm for the whole month of
February, while this year the level had already reached 325 mm
for the first 15 days of February. "I believe that weather
conditions will continue like this right through to the end of
this month," Koesbagyo said.
Yos Amerta, who is also the executive director of one of the
province's leading water sports operators, disclosed how even
during the 2001 low season period his company still managed to
get at least 30 foreign customers each day.
"Now, we are very lucky to be able to get 5 or 6 clients a
day," he said.
The bad weather conditions would further damage an industry
that has already been substantially weakened by the WTC tragedy
in the USA, and also by local political and social unrest.
"The water sports industry right now is dying, and the only
reason I do not ask my workers to take unpaid leave is because I
know them personally and I feel closely involved with them,"
added Yos.