Tulamben, Bali diving hotspot

Tulamben is famous for both its USS Liberty wreck and Drop-Off.

Tulamben shipwreck 

The USAT Liberty Wreck is Bali's most famous and accessible dive. Regarded by The Independent as “probably the best dive site in the world”, this fascinating WO II shipwreck is completely coral covered and surrounded by thousands of fish. The ship was originally constructed in New Jersey and was being used during World War II for carrying important materials for the war between the Philippines and Australia. It was struck in 1942 by a Japanese torpedo, but it did not sink. Because the ship was considered valuable to the war effort, two destroyers tried to tow it in for repair but eventually it had to be beached and stripped of everything valuable. Twenty years later, in 1963, an earthquake from Gunung Agung’s eruption caused the ship to roll over into deeper waters where it broke apart and sank. The dive is considered to be an amazing find and offers a wealth of diving opportunities to view the marine life, and the wreck itself is also a breath taking piece of history in the water.

The USAT Liberty shipwreck is vast: originally 120m (394ft) long and 16m (54ft) beam and 6211 tons when bound from Australia to the Philippines. The wreck lies parallel to the beach with her bow pointing north.

Practical Info: 

Accessible directly from Tulamben beach, the Drop-Off starts at a depth of 1m and drops to a depth of 40m+. It is easy to dive and offers good snorkeling conditions. The Drop-Off site is formed by casting of lava from Mount Agung at the east side end of the Tulamben bay and is covered with a multitude of corals fromgiant barrel sponges to giant sea fans and often reaching 3 meters deep. The site forms 3 giant fingers. Besides amazing coral growth, this reef features an unbelievable landscape sculpted by many overhanging rocks.

Practical Info: 

Level: for all levels of divers, the drop-Off can be dived on various levels depending on experience and makes an excellent multi-level dive
Visibility: 15 - 30 meter
Depth: 6-40m+ (20-130ft+)
Diving Conditions: mild to moderate current
PADI dive center: Villa Bossi recommends Spice Dive for a full day diving trip to Tulamben. An all day program including 2 Dives, divemaster, equipment, transportation, lunch and soft drinks will cost approximately IDR 1,000,000.
Underwater topography: Above the wall itself divers begin at the south end of Tulamben bay where you can walk in and swim along the black sand slope, then head out east to the corner where rocks poke out of the water just off the point. After a short swim, the sheer wall of the drop-off comes into view and sea life blooms. The wall itself is a seascape of colorful sponge life and coral growth.
Marine life: Hawk fish, trigger fish, reef fish, ray fish, pygmy seahorse, whale sharks, black tip sharks, the occasional hammerhead shark, manta rays, dog teeth tuna, octopus and barracuda. The presence of smaller reef fish is abundant, with angel fish being the species worth mentioning. Besides emperor angel fish, yellow-faced angel fish and blue-banded angel fish can be found with the duke fish rounding out the selection as a member of the angel fish family. Often, huge schools of big-eyed trevally (Jack family) and bumphead parrot fish pass the wall, darkening the sun. They are all attracted to the plankton swept by the current from the Tulamben slopes.