On the morning of July 30, all speedboats from the ports of Padangbai in eastern Bali and Lembar on the west coast of Lombok were halted. The strait recorded three-meter waves (peaks up to 4 m) and a strong headwind, making the ocean passage unsafe for small vessels.
The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency warns that waves of 2.5–4 m will persist along the southern shores of Bali, in the Lombok Strait, and along the entire edge of the Indian Ocean from Java to the Lesser Sunda Islands; the southeast wind may accelerate up to 30 knots.
Tourists accustomed to ferrying directly from the resorts of Senggigi and Bangsal to Bali moved to the main ferry terminal in Lembar.
The queue stretched along the pier, with hundreds of people waiting for hours for places on the cargo-passenger ferry to Padangbai. By mid-Wednesday, the flow began to ease, but the pier is still operating at its limit.
If you need to travel from Bali to Lombok (or vice versa), plan for an extra day: the ferry schedule is being adjusted on the fly, and the first trips after the ban is lifted will be fully booked.
The most reliable option now is a flight from Denpasar to Lombok and a return ticket in case the sea doesn't calm by the end of the week.
Sources: radarbali.jawapos.com, bali.antaranews.com
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