JEMBRANA, DEWATA.NEWS – Joint officers from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), National Police, and the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) are continuing efforts to rescue a large whale stranded in shallow waters off Gilimanuk, Jembrana Regency, on Tuesday afternoon (December 23, 2025).
The whale was first detected in the shallow waters of the Bali Strait earlier in the day. Rescue teams attempted to guide the animal back to deeper waters by pulling during high tide and creating artificial waves. However, these initial efforts have not yet succeeded.
According to Arya Agung Arjana Putra, Chief of the Gilimanuk Port Police, responders are proceeding cautiously due to the shallow seabed and the presence of coral.
“Our initial steps included area sweeps and generating artificial waves to help the whale move out of the shallow zone,” he said on Tuesday. He added that extreme care is required to prevent serious injuries to the animal during the evacuation process.
The whale, described as jumbo-sized, remains at its original location in the shallow waters off Gilimanuk and is under continuous monitoring while further rescue measures are being prepared.
Information from the field indicates the stranded whale was discovered at around 10:00 a.m. WITA during a routine maritime patrol conducted as part of Christmas 2025 and New Year 2026 security operations.
The animal was located approximately 0.5 nautical miles north of Gilimanuk Ferry Port, near Segara Temple.
Bayu Primanto, Commander of the Indonesian Navy post in Gilimanuk, confirmed the sighting and said the whale showed no visible movement at the time of observation.
“For information, a whale was found stranded in the Bali Strait, roughly 0.5 nautical miles from the Gilimanuk crossing port,” he stated.
Authorities continue to coordinate closely to determine the safest and most effective method to assist the marine mammal back to deeper waters, while ensuring minimal risk to both the animal and rescue personnel.