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.