BMKG: West Java South Sea Wave Height To DIY Reaches 6 Meters

Illustration - High Waves on Bunton Beach, Adipala District, Cilacap Regency, Central Java. ANTARA/Sumarwoto

CILACAP - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) estimates that wave heights in the sea south of West Java to the Special Region of Yogyakarta have the potential to reach the range of 4-6 meters.

"The wave height of 4-6 meters is in the very high category," said Teguh Wardoyo, Head of the BMKG Technician Group at WMKG Cilacap Station, Teguh Wardoyo in Cilacap, Central Java, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, July 25.

He said the potential for very high waves was triggered by the wind pattern in southern Indonesia which predominantly moves from east to southeast at a speed of 5-25 knots.

According to him, areas that have the potential for very high waves include waters south of Sukabumi, waters south of Cianjur, waters south of Garut, waters south of Tasikmalaya, waters south of Pangandaran, waters south of Cilacap, waters south of Kebumen, waters south of Purworejo, and waters south of Yogyakarta.

Apart from that, he said, very high waves also have the potential to occur in the Indian Ocean south of West Java, the Indian Ocean south of Central Java and the Indian Ocean south of DIY.

"Therefore, we are issuing an early warning for high waves in the area which is valid until Wednesday (26/7) and we will immediately update it if there are further developments," he said.

Teguh predicts that high waves (2.5-4 meters) to very high will occur more frequently at the peak of the easterly wind season in August 2023.

Regarding this condition, he appealed to all marine service users to pay attention to the risk of high waves on shipping safety to avoid undesirable things.

"Based on the analysis, wind speeds of more than 15 knots and wave heights above 1.25 meters pose a risk to the operation of fishing boats and wind speeds of more than 16 knots and wave heights above 1.5 meters pose a risk to the operation of barges," he explained.

Meanwhile, he said, wind speeds of more than 21 knots and wave heights above 2.5 meters pose a risk to ferry shipping, and wind speeds of more than 27 knots and wave heights above four meters pose a risk to large vessels such as cargo ships and cruise ship.

He also appealed to tourists visiting the southern coast of West Java to DIY not to swim or play in the water on beaches, especially beaches that are directly connected to the open sea because very high waves can appear suddenly.