Crystal Bay Beach in Nusa Penida woke up to an unexpected crisis after a late-night flood swept through the area, halting all tourism activity in one of the island’s most visited coastal spots. What was usually a calm and postcard-perfect beach turned into a muddy scene filled with debris.
The flooding in Crystal Bay Beach began after heavy rain drenched the region on Monday night around 23.00 Wita. The water rushed down from the eastern hills, carrying thick mud, fine sand, small stones, branches, and pieces of wood. The strong current pushed all of this material toward the beachside facilities.
Mud and trash piled up across the parking area and slipped into several local kiosks. Economic activity stopped instantly because access to the beach was blocked and the paths became unsafe for visitors.
Relief efforts started early the next morning. Police officers, military personnel, Sakti Village officials, and local residents gathered around 07.00 Wita on Tuesday (9/12/2025) to clean the area. Their work slowly brought the beach back to a more manageable condition.
“We continue to make gradual and sustained efforts for post-disaster handling. Coordination between authorities and community participation is crucial so Crystal Bay can recover quickly and support tourism activity again,” said Nusa Penida Police Chief AKP I Ketut Kesuma Jaya on Tuesday.
Kesuma stressed that restoring the location is a shared priority. Teams worked with simple tools like shovels, hoes, buckets, and chainsaws to remove branches stuck near the parking lot and around the kiosks.
The parking area had been covered by about 20 centimeters of water. Several kiosks were hit harder, with water levels reaching between 20 and 40 centimeters. Inside the kiosks, residents found mud as thick as 5 to 10 centimeters. Many spent the morning clearing out wet inventory and scraping mud from the floors.
By midday, roughly 75 percent of the parking space could be used again. Some muddy patches remained, but the main pathways had been cleared. A number of kiosks were still drying their interiors and reorganizing items after the thick mud deposits.
“Material losses are still being recorded. There are no casualties or injuries,” Kesuma added.
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Access roads leading to the beach were also cleared. Mud and wood debris that made the road slippery and dangerous were removed to prevent accidents. Even so, tourism activity is still paused to make sure the cleaning continues smoothly and the area remains safe for visitors.
Crystal Bay is expected to reopen once the final cleanup stages are completed and the site is fully secure.
