Bali Strait

Aerial view of the Strait with Java on the left and Bali on the right

Bali Strait seen from Java

Bali Strait is a stretch of water separating Java and Bali while connecting the Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea. At its narrowest it is 2.4-kilometre (1.5 mi) wide.

The Bali Strait is one of the five bodies of water surrounding the island of Bali: Lombok Strait to the east, the Badung Strait to the southeast, the Bali Sea to the north, the Indian Ocean to the southwest, and the Bali Strait to the west.

Geologically the two islands of Bali and Java were joined until the end of the last Ice Age when the sea rose and cut the land bridge. They both share part of the tectonic plate called the Sunda shelf.

On 28 January 1797 during the Bali Strait Incident a convoy of British East Indiaman was attacked by a squadron of French frigates in the Bali Strait. Disguising themselves as ships of the line, the British merchant ships were able to intimidate the French into withdrawing.