Diving in Tulamben, Bali 2023 Complete Guide

The quiet seaside village of Tulamben Bali has seen a huge surge in people coming to its shores recently. This renewed interest of the people in this unassuming town is due to the USAT Liberty shipwreck which is growing in fame for its incredible diving opportunities. Tulamben sits on the east coast of Bali with a few other smaller towns dotting the area. It is a small town with a local population that hasn’t benefited from tourism like the west and southern parts of Bali have. The area has dry land and most people only farm enough to feed their families. When the dive sites around Tulamben began growing in fame, a few of these locals set up dive shops and rentals around the area. Today these shops are the lifeblood of the diving industry in Tulamben.

Why is diving in Tulamben so famous?

Diving in Tulamben became famous when more and more tourists started diving the Liberty shipwreck. It is a sunken WWII ship that lies in very shallow waters off the coast of Tulamben. The shallowest part of the ship is in just 5 meters of water and can be seen from the surface. The deepest part of the shipwreck is at 30 meters which is the perfect depth for advanced divers.

Apart from the shipwreck there are also 8 other dive sites that have pristine marine life. This is because there is no over tourism in east Bali so the waters are very clean here. A huge variety of marine life thrives in these waters that you would not find anywhere else. Finally, the area is so famous because of all the dive camps set up specially for divers at reasonable prices. You won’t break the bank here like you would in other places like Maldives and California.

Best Time for Diving in Tulamben

You can see marine life in Tulamben during all months of the year. The things you need to keep in mind are the uncertain weather conditions during the rainy season and migration of larger marine species which have specific months that they come to Tulamben.

During the rainy season, the weather in Bali gets very unpredictable and can change in an instant. If the weather becomes severe enough then dives are canceled. The rainy season is from December to March so it’s a huge chunk of the year. When I went to Tulamben in December there were no rainy days at all and none of my dives were canceled. The dive shops also were not overbooked so I could make last minute bookings and go to any dive site of my choice. Since I was the only person diving with that company I also enjoyed it much more.

The other thing to keep in mind is that larger species like whale sharks, mola mola and sharks are migratory species and only come to the east coast of Bali during certain months. If you are looking to see a certain species then definitely plan your trip in advance to coincide with the months that these species are in this area.

How to Get to Tulamben

It is very easy to get to Tulamben from any city in Bali. You can hire a taxi to drive you from Kuta, Canggu or Ubud to Tulamben. The drive takes around 3 hours. When I went from Canggu to Ubud I had a lovely taxi driver that drove me there and I took down his number. I called him when I had to go from Ubud to Tulamben and he was happy to drive me there as well. To come back from Tulamben to Canggu/Ubud you will have to find a local taxi driver in Tulamben that will be able to drive you. I found one by contacting the staff at the resort I was staying at and asking if they knew any drivers that would be willing to drive me back.

Where to Stay in Tulamben

Tulamben has a lot of dive resorts which have low cost rooms and have a restaurant that serves local food inside the resort. There are also some very high end resorts and some independent villas you can rent.

Mimpi Resort Tulamben

Booking.com link
Price: From $75

This is a beautiful and sustainable beachfront property. They have a gorgeous pool right in front of the beach. The resort has a cozy woody vibe with beautiful architecture and air conditioned bungalows. They have a restaurant and a spa service inside the resort. Its the best place to stay for a couple nights and go explore all the dive sites in Tulamben.

Relax Bali Dive and Spa Resort

Booking.com link
Price: From $106

This is a luxurious beautiful oceanfront property with all the amenities you could need for the perfect luxury getaway. It has a quiet serene setting where you can relax and let go of all worries. They have an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and lots of water sports facilities. You can enjoy both local and continental cuisine at their onsite restaurant. They have a spa and a fitness gym inside the property as well. You can sip cocktails next to the pool, get a massage, play billiards or go diving in Tulamben!

Dive Sites in Amed & Tulamben

USAT Liberty

This is the most famous dive site in Tulamben and the reason why most people go to the east coast of Bali to dive. The shipwreck has one side at 5 meters and the other side rests at 30 meters. This is great for both snorkeling and diving. The dive site has shore entry and you have to swim for 5 minutes to get to the shipwreck. There are lots of corals growing on the shipwreck now. When I went diving in Tulamben at this site I saw corals, sponges, nudibranchs and sea fans growing here.

There is a huge number of marine life here. I saw some bumphead parrotfish, one giant barracuda, stonefish, triggerfish, one trumpetfish and long tipped bannerfish. At this dive site you can swim through the shipwreck and come out the other side. There is an eel garden that you will see on your way back. It has lots of ribbon eels that go into the sand if you get too close.

Drop Off

The drop off has the same shore entry as the Liberty shipwreck. You will get into the water and swim towards the curve on the right to get to the drop off. The drop off is 70 meters deep so you cant see the bottom here. The wall was formed due to the volcanic eruption of Mount Agung in 1963. The site is very beautiful and the wall has lots of crevices where you will fish darting in and out. There are lots of sponges and gorgonian fans growing on the wall. I saw a huge moray eel with teeth that scared the crap out of me cause it suddenly appeared out of a coral cave.

Some of the marine life I saw here were humphead wrasse, lionfish, emperor angelfish, blue-banded angelfish, and yellow-faced angelfish. There were lots of triggerfish swimming just off the wall. While going and coming back from the wall I saw lots of tiny iridescent blue fish on the steps going up to the beach which were the most beautiful fish ever. I think they were blue-green chromis but I’m not sure.

Coral Garden

This was a very unique dive site and I have never seen coral gardens so big. We swam for 10 minutes before getting to the underwater statues near the garden. The statues spell ‘Tulamben’ and there are a few other statues nearby like a heart and a shark. If you keep swimming past the statues you will eventually get to the anemone garden where there are anemones everywhere.

There were lots of clownfish darting in and out here. I even saw the eggs of one pair of clownfish in an anemone. I found this dive more challenging than the other two dives because I could feel a strong current here. At this dive site you are also more likely to see reef sharks though I was not lucky enough to see one here. The anemone garden is pretty shallow from 3 meters to 10 meters so I wasnt too worried about my dive time here.

Alamanda

Alamanda is a dive site that is only accessible by boat. The boat ride takes 5 mins from Tulamben and it’s a little past the drop off. The dive site has a reef wall that extends to 50 meters deep. This is one of the lesser explored dive sites and you can expect to be the only one diving in Tulamben at this site on most days. Since the area is more open and deeper than the rest of the dive sites there is a higher chance of seeing the Mola Mola and bigger sharks here.

Batu Kelebit

Batu Kelebit is near Alamanda and has the same geographical features. It’s a deep wall covered with corals and gorgonian fans. You can see lots of larger species of fish here including reef sharks, whale sharks and Mola Mola. It takes 10 minutes by boat to reach the dive site. The current is very strong here so it is recommended only for divers with experience.

Seraya Secrets

Seraya Secrets is a very unique site for diving in Tulamben where you can see most of the critters that make up the marine life in Bali. The combination of the black sand background makes this a great place for macro photography of these small critters. The dive site is accessible from the beach very close to Tulamben. Some of the critters you might see here are harlequin shrimp, ornate ghost pipefish, and pygmy seahorses. Some other bigger critters that live here are leopard moray eels, lionfish, and skeleton shrimps.

Emerald

Emerald is the most remote dive site in Tulamben and you can see some species here that you might not be able to see anywhere else. It is the last dive spot after you cross the point for Drop off. You can only access it by boat. Marine life you can expect to see here are parrotfish, clownfish, triggerfish here. You might also see bigger pelagic species such as whale sharks, Mola Molas, and manta rays. One unique thing about this dive site is the sunken car and a piece of table and chairs that are underwater. They are very interesting to photograph.

Kubu Reef

Kubu reef is an interesting reef off the coast of the village of Kubu. It is a small drive away from Tulamben. The dive site is full of healthy marine life such as bumphead parrotfish, triggerfish, and turtles. One of the interesting species which is elusive in other dive sites is the blue spotted rays which can be found here. I have never seen these before and they are supposed to be absolutely gorgeous. At the deeper parts of the reef you can also find reef sharks if you are lucky.

Boga Wreck

This interesting dive site was created by the locals by sinking a ship off the coast of Tulamben 10 years ago to create a more artificial reef. There is an old Volkswagen car still intact inside the front hull of the ship. The ship was scuttled in shallow waters but slid deeper after being sunk. It is now held by ropes to prevent it from sinking too deep. The ship is between 18 meters and 40 meters so only advanced divers can explore the place.

Dive Companies in Tulamben

There are lots of dive companies that now offer diving excursions, diving courses or discovery scuba diving. Most of the dive resorts in Tulamben have their own team of dive operators that charge a reasonable price and can pick you up from the hotel and drive you to the dive spot of your choice. If you prefer going through another company you can check out the list of dive companies in Tulamben published by PADI.