A sunset ceremony in the waves off Bali's shores ended an emotional day of tribute to the 202 people killed two years ago when Islamic militant bombs tore through the heart of Indonesia's resort island.
As survivors and the friends and families of victims joined locals for a candlelit vigil on Bali's Kuta beach, a fleet of young Australian and Balinese surfers headed to sea to mark the anniversary of the October 12, 2002 attacks.
The simple ceremony saw flowers scattered into the waters as the surfers formed a circle beyond the breakers to honour those who died – most of them young Western holidaymakers.
"It's a beautiful tribute to the victims, in a particularly Australian way – on the beach," said Rhiannon Munday of Sydney, who lost two close friends in the blasts.
Some 88 Australians were killed along with people from 21 other countries by the bombs detonated by the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah regional terrorist group in a deliberate attempt to target Western tourists.
Earlier, Australian ambassador David Ritchie led a gathering of mourners in 202 seconds of silence in an event at the site of the bombings where a monument bearing the names of the dead has been built.
"The events of that day have become part of our own lives, they represent a loss of innocence, a tragedy for all of those who value peace, beauty and what is right," Ritchie said.
"We are here, united not only in our grief and sympathy but also in our determination to eradicate this evil from our world." As the morning ceremony began, widows and children of the Indonesian victims were joined by 120 Australians, many dressed in beach wear and black armbands, to lay wreaths and flowers around the monument.
Many survivors, still struggling to overcome the injuries and memories of the attack on Bali's Kuta tourist strip, joined in a tearful rendition of Australia's unofficial national anthem "Waltzing Matilda".
"It is good after two years, when I have had time to heal, to come back to something like this," said Andrew Csabi of Australia's Gold Coast, who lost a leg in the bombing.
Australian survivor Mitch Ryan was with other members of his Southport Sharks football team mourning the loss of team mate Billy Hardy.
"It doesn't get any easier, it is still a real emotional time, but I have got great friends and family and everyone looks after each other," said Ryan, who was also injured in the blasts.
Many of those attending the event were expected come together for a final vigil at the site shortly before midnight, at the precise time of the first explosion.
In Canberra, newly re-elected Prime Minister John Howard attended a church service to commemorate the bombing victims, while several hundred tourists also turned out to witness Tuesday's ceremony in Bali.
Although visitors are returning to the island, Bali is still struggling to pick up after the bombs, and subsequent attacks in the world's largest Muslim populated nation, hit its vital tourism industry.
The Bali attack, the worst in terms of human casualty since the September 11, 2001 strikes, have been followed by a deadly blast at Jakarta's Marriott hotel in August 2003 and on the city's Australian embassy last month.
Security was tight for Tuesday's ceremony, with armoured vehicles blocking off streets around the bomb site, a helicopter buzzing over head and six snipers positioned on rooftops.
Bali's police chief Inspector General I Made Mangku Pastika, who led operations to capture more than 30 people involved in the attack, said 1,000 officers had been deployed around the ceremony with fears terrorists could strike again. "Everybody thinks that, so we must prepare," he told reporters.
The two main suspects in the Bali bombing and subsequent attacks, Malaysians Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohammed Top, remain at large.