Two fishermen fishing off the coral reef area of Cikeueus Loji Beach, Sukabumi Regency, West Java, were swept into the sea after being struck by waves on Sunday morning (16 November 2025).
The victims, identified as Ujang Agus (40) and Deni Setiawan (35), were standing on the reef at around 8:00 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB) when the incident occurred.
According to witnesses, the pair had just felt a pull on their fishing line when a strong wave slammed against the reef.
A bystander recorded the moment before and after the fall, showing the anglers losing balance and slipping off the rocks as the water surged. The footage circulated online shortly after the incident.
Desiana Kartika Bahari, Head of the Jakarta Search and Rescue Office and the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC), confirmed that both men were swept away by strong waves.
“The force of the waves caused the two victims to slip and be swept out to sea, where they drowned,” Desiana said in a written statement quoted by Kompas.com on Monday morning (17 November 2025).
Search efforts began immediately after the fall but produced no results on the first day. The joint SAR team conducted coastal and sea combing operations throughout Sunday. The search continued on Monday (17 November), involving both sea patrols and aerial monitoring.
@mustsharenews Rescuers stated that the large waves are a challenge in their search process. #mustsharenews #sgfyp #indonesia ♬ original sound – MustShareNews
Search Operation Concludes as Bodies Recovered Two Days Later
As reported by Liputan6, the search operation for the missing anglers formally ended on Wednesday (19 November 2025) after both bodies were located. The announcement was made by Suryo Adianto, Coordinator of the Sukabumi Basarnas SAR Post.
“The progress of the search for two fishermen who were swept away by the waves at Cikeueus Loji Beach, Simpenan District, Sukabumi Regency, has reached its end,” Suryo said. “With the discovery of the two victims, this SAR operation is officially closed.”
On Tuesday (18 November), the joint SAR team resumed operations at 7:00 a.m. WIB. Teams divided the area into several zones, including a 6-nautical-mile sea search using an LCR boat and a 3-kilometre land search.
At around 4:00 p.m. WIB, the first victim, Deni Setiawan, was found dead in the waters off Cihurang Beach, approximately 2 kilometres from the point where he was swept away.
The search for the second victim continued the next day. On Wednesday (19 November), operations again began at 7:00 a.m. WIB, with teams assigned to three search units:
SRU 1: Sea search with an LCR boat for 6 kilometres
SRU 2: Land search covering 5 kilometres
SRU 3: Monitoring the upper areas of Puncak Aher and Puncak Dini
“At 10:00 a.m. Western Indonesian Time, the last victim, Ujang Agus (40), was found dead in the waters around Cibakung Beach, approximately 1 nautical mile from the scene,” Suryo said.
Both bodies were taken to Palabuhanratu Regional Hospital and handed over to their families
Suryo added that the operation faced several obstacles. Rainy weather, strong winds, and high waves slowed progress and made parts of the coastline difficult to access.
