Military Pool Generates Waves prior to Palu, Donggala Earthquake

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Navy`s Commander Marine Colonel Bayu Alisyahbana confirmed the authenticity of a video that was shot at Sidoarjo`s Tirta Krida Lanudal Juanda military base swimming facility. The video showed the pool generating continuous motion of waves despite having nobody swimming. 

The video showed the pool’s caretaker being flabbergasted by the phenomenon from the edge of the swimming pool. “That is true, it’s not fake,” said Bayu when Tempo called for confirmation.

Read: BMKG Explains Donggala, Palu Earthquakes 

Bayu explained that the weird occurrence took place on Friday, September 28, at around 17:10 local time. The pool’s caretaker Ichsan (43) predicted that the waves generated inside the swimming pool was a sign of an impending earthquake. 

“As it turns out he (Ichsan) was right, what followed the event was Palu and Donggala getting struck by an earthquake and tsunami,” Bayu concluded. 

This was not the first time the swimming pool suddenly formed continuous waves, Ichsan testified that a similar incident happened when the pool generated two-meter waves prior to the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Aceh. 

The Tirta Krida Lanudal Juanda swimming pool also suddenly formed one-meter high waves when a series of earthquakes struck Nias Island, Yogyakarta, and Lombok. “The latest case was in Donggala and Palu,” said Bayu.

KUKUH S. WIBOWO