For people in southern Java, Nyi Roro Kidul is seen as the mystical Queen of the Southern Sea—a powerful spirit who rules over the Indian Ocean. She’s both respected and feared, as locals believe she controls the tides, waves, and sometimes even claims those who get too close to her waters, especially if they’re wearing green, her favorite color. Her story has been passed down through generations, and people still make offerings or hold rituals to honor her and keep safe. To the coastal communities, she’s a reminder of the ocean’s beauty and power, encouraging a mix of awe and caution whenever they’re near the sea.

Now we talk about Rip Currents that stand for some wave currents that towards back to the ocean and cut the incoming waves from the ocean. Rip currents are strong, narrow, seaward flows of water that extend from close to the shoreline to outside of the surf zone. They are found on almost any beach with breaking waves and act as “rivers of the sea,” moving sand, marine organisms, and other material offshore. Not all beaches experience the phenomenon of Rip Current. This is influenced by bathymetric conditions (beach bottom and its depth) and other oceanographic factors. Rip Current can also occur several times at different points on one beach. A study published in 2013 in Australia revealed that they have killed more people on Australian territory than bushfires, floods, cyclones and shark attacks combined.

Research on rip currents has been conducted since the 1920s by coastal scientists using various methods, such as qualitative descriptive analysis, field experiments to measure waves and currents, remote video imaging, and computer model simulations. We are developing a system that can detect the rip currents using artificial intelligence using real-time object detection called YOLO (You Only Look Once) that apply a single neural network to the full image and the network divides the imag into regions and predicts bounding boxes and probabilities for each region. So, if we want to detect rip currents, we will need images of the beach and add a bounding box around each rip current present in the image. The bounding box should look like this (Figure 2).

In conclusion, the integration of artificial intelligence, particularly through real-time object detection methods like YOLO, offers a promising approach to detecting rip currents along the southern Java coastline. By leveraging technology to analyze images of the beach, we can enhance our understanding of these hazardous currents that are often difficult to identify visually. This innovation not only has the potential to improve safety for beachgoers by providing timely warnings about rip currents but also deepens our appreciation for the ocean’s complexities, echoing the cultural significance of Nyi Roro Kidul as a symbol of respect and caution toward the sea. As we continue to advance in our research and technological capabilities, we can better protect coastal communities and foster a safer relationship with the powerful waters of the Indian Ocean.