British tourist, 63, disappears while snorkelling with his wife in Bali

A search and rescue effort is presently underway for a British senior who was swept out to sea yesterday afternoon while snorkelling in Bali with his wife.

The 68-year-old man went missing while snorkelling with his wife in the pristine waters of the Blue Lagoon Beach resort in Bali, Indonesia’s Karangasem Regency.

His wife, who remains unidentified, reported his disappearance to local police around 5:30 p.m., an hour after she purportedly emerged from the beach’s azure blue seas and started to wait for her husband’s return.

According to Gusti Ngurah Eka Widnyana, coordinator of the Karangasem Search and Rescue Team, a search and rescue effort for the British citizen started a few hours later at 8:25 p.m.

Widnyana said this morning that a combined team is still searching for the missing individual.

The victim has not yet been located.

Widnyana originally sent six members of the rescue squad on a speedboat to the area to seek for the elderly man.

Gede Darmada, the head of the Bali Basarnas government office, informed local media outlets today that the search area for the missing British person has been separated into three sections to maximise the possibility of locating him.

He added, ‘Yesterday’s search yielded no results, and today the search and rescue operation began this morning.’

Widnyana said that he hopes the old person would be located as soon as possible, while local media reported that authorities have urged snorkelers in Bali to be aware of the constantly changing weather conditions.

In June, a 44-year-old Italian lady narrowly avoided being swept out to sea after being struck by a strong wave on Klungkung Beach in Indonesia.

Foreign visitors are projected to approach pre-pandemic levels of six million by 2025, according to the Bali Tourism Association.

The island is now giving a more flexible visa in an effort to entice more tourists and employees to its tropical coastlines, according to the tourism minister.

In recent years, certain Asian vacation locations have seen an inflow of “digital nomads,” or long-term foreign tourists who mix travel with remote work.

Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said in an Instagram post that digital nomads may now visit Indonesia on a social-cultural visa and work for up to six months.

He said, “‘I am increasingly convinced the number of foreign tourists who are interested in staying in Indonesia will increase and will automatically have an impact on economic revival.’