Morpho-dynamic Induced Rip Currents in Klayar Beach, Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Klayar Beach (KB), Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia is a rugged coast with a narrow sand beach, a relatively small embayment with rocky headlands, and a very exotic view as a coastal tourism destination. Despite its attractiveness, KB poses a hazard due to rip currents. From 2009 to 2022, KB visited more than 3 million people, and more than 30 people were reported dead due to drowning in rip currents. This paper presents the result of fieldwork to investigate morpho-dynamic driven rip current hazard of the study area. This study carried out bathymetric and topographic mapping and sediment sampling. The last 10 years’ wave data was used for predicting hydrodynamic parameters. The study shows a good correlation between a variety of incoming significant wave heights and tide fluctuation vs. rip current velocity. The existence of headland plays a significant role in rip current formation in the study area. The headland influences either shadow or deflected rip currents formation for the incoming wave angle. The study also indicates that the type of rip current in the KB is structural boundary controlled, and the most important thing to be alerted for promoting beach safety in this area is that this rip current is predicted permanently to occur.