TULAMBEN DIVING
Tulamben Diving is the most popular diving activity in Bali. Tulamben is a small town on the north-east coast of Bali. It is a popular dive site in Bali and it gets into the top 10 (ten) best diving sites in Bali, especially around the wreck of the Liberty Glo, a US Army Transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942. It is a very easy wreck dive and may be done by all levels divers. It is accessed directly from the shoreline and located about 25 meters from shore. At it deepest point, it is about 30 meters from the surface and it tops out at about 5 meters from the surface. Tulamben receives very plankton rich water from the major ocean current that moves from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean or vice versa. The wreck, rocky wall and sand slopes provide a wide variety of physical habitats. All of these factors, combined together will explain why the Tulamben bay contains an incredible diversification of the underwater ecosystem. Tulamben is a wonderful place to learn to dive and to learn about underwater life. There are occasional sightings of Mola-Mola (Sunfish), Manta Rays, Whale Shark, Tuna and other pelagic but it is the permanent population of Tulamben that brings multinational divers to this dive site.
The Liberty was motoring across the Lombok Strait in 1942, working as a cargo ship during World War II, when the ship was hit by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine. Two destroyers which had been accompanying her towed her toward Singaraja on Bali’s north coast. But she took on too much water and didn’t make it to Singaraja. Instead she was beached in Tulamben. The Liberty sat grounded in the shallow part of Tulamben bay for more than twenty years until Mount Agung erupted in 1963. The subsequent earthquakes caused the ship to roll out into deeper water and broke her at bow and stern. The Liberty lie approximately 30m offshore almost parallel to the beach on the sand slope and is suitable for all levels of qualification and experience. The wreck lies in depths from 9-30m; the shallowest part of the wreck, where it touches the sand slope, is at 5-10m. Depth along the middle of the wreck is 16-20m. The USS Liberty shipwreck possibly the world’s easiest wreck dive. This is the famous diving spot in Tulamben.
After the wreck the Tulamben drop-off is the most popular. The main wall is formed by the westernmost of three coral-covered lava spurs and the landmark is a very large gorgonian at almost 30 meters. The wall is also a great edge for black coral bushes home to schools of damselfish, bright juvenile butterfly fish, hawk fish and many more.
Coral Garden in 5 to 20 meters of water is rich with hard corals and fire corals. The area is a very good spot for snorkeling, with acroporid hard corals and fire corals. The fish population is diverse, from large clown fish, angelfish, snappers, parrotfish to ribbon eels, frogfish and so many more. The proximity from the beach makes it a convenient site for night dives.
Batu Kelebit, less than one kilometer from the drop-off, may be the best site in the area to see big animals. This site is a series of steep, coral-covered ridges separated by sand channels. The coral is rich and healthy after 20 meters deep and the underwater topography is interesting.
Reef Type : the ship wreck of the Liberty , wall
Traveling Time : from Sanur 2 hours drive
Visibility : up to 20 meters
Current : rare current
Coral : encrusting animals on wreck, fine coral wall
Fish : superb numbers and variety
Highlights : night diving at full moon
Other : the area can be crowded in the middle of the day
Please contact us for more information about Tulamben Diving or other Bali diving trips
