Do Water Sport Operators in Bali Have to Carry Insurance?

Yes, for high-risk activities. Article 26(e) of Law No. 10 of 2009 on Tourism requires tourism businesses to "provide insurance protection for tourism businesses with high-risk activities", and operators who fail to comply face a written warning, restrictions, or temporary suspension of their business (Article 63). The explanatory note gives diving and white-water rafting as examples without listing jet skis or parasailing by name, so ask about the policy before you pay (checked 29 October 2026).

Article 20(f) of the same law also gives you, the tourist, a right to insurance protection for high-risk activities. Compliance varies: legal research on rafting on the Ayung River found operators building insurance into their packages, while a study of an operator elsewhere in Indonesia found the provision often ignored by businesses and tourists alike.

Why it matters in Tanjung Benoa and Nusa Penida

detikBali (23 August 2023) listed eight water sport accidents in Bali since 2015. Two involved the flying fish ride in Tanjung Benoa: a 19-year-old guide died in 2015, and a 60-year-old Japanese tourist died in August 2023 after the boat flipped in a sudden change of weather. The list also includes an Austrian diver struck by a speedboat off Nusa Lembongan (2018) and a South Korean snorkeller at Manta Bay, Nusa Penida (2022).

The Consulate-General of Japan in Denpasar, in a notice dated 28 July 2026, asked Japanese nationals to check the forecast before snorkelling, diving, surfing or inter-island boat trips, and has long recommended travel insurance.

Before you pay for a package

• Ask for the insurer's name. "Insurance included" without the name of an insurer means little. Ask for a ticket or receipt that states it, or a photo of the policy certificate.
• Buy from the operator, not a tout. Licensed marine tourism businesses hold a business ID (NIB) in the OSS system, and many belong to the Gahawisri Bali association. Very cheap street-side packages are often passed on to operators you cannot trace.
• Read your own policy's exclusions. Some travel policies cover parasailing or banana boats as a passenger but exclude driving motorised watercraft. Search the wording for "jet ski" or "motorised watercraft".
• Life jacket on, not on the floor. It should fit and be buckled before you board. For parasailing, ask about the weight limit and how landing works.
• Check the weather that day. The regional BMKG office warned of waves up to 4 metres in southern Bali waters on 27-30 October 2026 (ANTARA, 26 October 2026). In strong wind, a good operator postpones.
• Keep the receipt. A receipt in the operator's name is the basis for any claim, against the operator or your insurer.

If there is an accident

Ask the operator to log the incident and notify its insurer, and file a police report if anyone is seriously hurt, since your own insurer will usually ask for one. A compensation claim against the operator can rest on Article 1365 of the Civil Code (unlawful acts), as Hukumonline explains. After the 2023 flying fish death, Bali's tourism office said it was reviewing sanctions for water sport operators; we could not find a reported outcome.

Related reading: the clauses worth checking in your travel insurance, how parasailing, rafting and other adrenaline activities compare, the late-October 4-metre wave warning, and Bali rules for visitors.

Quick answers

Does Jasa Raharja compensation cover water sports? No. Jasa Raharja covers public transport passengers and road traffic victims (Laws 33 and 34 of 1964), not recreational water rides.

Can I drive the jet ski myself? Many Tanjung Benoa packages come with an instructor riding along. If you want to drive alone, ask whether the operator's insurance still applies and make sure your own policy does not exclude it.