DENPASAR, BALI – In a harrowing ordeal, an American tourist, Petter Picetti Falcone (35), was rescued on Wednesday morning, June 11, 2025, after being stranded overnight in the waters off Bali. His jet ski ran out of fuel, leaving him adrift since Tuesday afternoon.

The alarming incident began on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at around 3:00 PM WITA. Petter, along with nine other tourists, set sail from Serangan to Lembongan on the Haruku Boat. Upon arrival, Petter began jet-skiing with supervision.

After two supervised attempts, Picetti Falcone decided to jet ski alone, heading west towards the Sanur waters. As evening approached, he failed to return, prompting a search by the Haruku Boat crew, but to no avail.

I Nyoman Sidakarya, Head of the Denpasar Search and Rescue Office, confirmed they received the distress call around 7:00 PM WITA on Tuesday. “The incident occurred in Lembongan, estimated at 4:00 PM,” Sidakarya stated.

A search operation was immediately launched that night, deploying a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) with four SAR personnel. However, the overnight search yielded no results.

The search resumed on Wednesday morning. At approximately 7:30 AM WITA, a positive update came from the captain of the Duta Lestari 08 vessel, who reported finding Petter safe and sound in the Uluwatu waters. The fishing boat, which happened to be passing by at around 6:30 AM WITA, spotted Petter waving for help as his jet ski had run out of fuel.

The joint SAR team, positioned in Tanjung Benoa at the time, swiftly responded. “We received a report from an agent of the Duta Lestari 08 vessel that was passing through the Uluwatu waters, and the target immediately called for help and was directly towed by the fishing boat towards the port,” Sidakarya explained.

It was agreed that Petter would be transferred at the Pantai Pandawa waters. The evacuation process faced challenges due to high waves, but by 8:10 AM WITA, Petter was successfully transferred to the Denpasar Search and Rescue Office’s RIB and subsequently transported to the Benoa Port Navigation Pier.

The RIB’s movement was escorted by multiple units, including two KPLP RIBs, one Bali Police Water Unit RIB, and one Benoa Water Police speed boat. For further handling, Petter’s family requested he be taken to BIMC Hospital via a Denpasar BBKK ambulance.

The extensive SAR operation involved various agencies, including the National Police Air and Water Unit (Mabes Polairud KP Manyar), Sabhara Polda Bali, Bali Police Water Unit (Polairud Polda Bali), Benoa Port Police (Polsek Kawasan Benoa), Benoa Naval Post (Pos AL Benoa), Benoa SROP, Benoa VTS, Denpasar Port Health Office (Balai Besar Kekarantinaan Denpasar), Benoa Port Authority (KPLP Benoa), the Duta Lestari 08 fishing boat crew, and the family.