Tulamben the diving spot in Bali

Located in Karangasem region, exactly north side of Tirtagangga, this beach is known for its history and its beauty. Tulamben beach located at the eastern Bali is the famous diving site, where Liberty ship, a U.S. Cargo was torpedoed by Japanese sub-marine warship on 11 January 1942. She was beached on Tulamben when rescue attempts failed. In 1963, when Mount Agung erupted, the ships broke into two and was swept to her current position close to the shore of Tulamben. Now, the wreckage is becoming home of various fish and aquatic animals. According to Karl Muller in his book " Under Water Indonesia " there are around 400 species of reef fish and 100 species of pelagics visited the wreckage. The hull is encrusted with coral and the fish have become quite tame because of the large numbers of divers here. It is said that Tulamben is the most popular dive spot in Indonesia.

As one of the most renowned diving site in Indonesia, Tulamben offers diverse marine life and magnificent under water world. Dive courses for all levels are often conducted at Tulamben. With the panorama changing drastically to dry hills covered with scrub, Tulamben is a quiet beach and popular place for diving.

With the development of diving tour in Tulamben, small accommodations started to appear, even two big hotels such as Mimpi and Emerald have been established to serve the divers with more facilities. The barren area of Tulamben has been changed into garden or cultivated areas. Simple losmens and a couple of good, small hotels sit along the shady, grey sand beach. Boys with guitars roll off standards as entertainment in the evenings.

On to the Wreck

The wreck of the Liberty lies parallel to shore on a steep sand slope. Part of the superstructure is within snorkeling distance from the surface. The hulk is broken into large chunks, and there are lots of big holes in the hull, making it easy to explore the vessel's innards. Don't expect to find any interesting mementoes inside, however. Remember, this ship was stripped while still on the beach.
The treasures of Tulamben are swimming in and around the wreck: hundreds of species of fish in good numbers, most having become semi-tame and used to divers. We saw several fairly large a meter or so-specimens, but it is the huge numbers of medium-sized fish-30-80 centimeters-that make the wreck such an interesting dive. If you planned just one or two dives here, we guarantee you will regret not having more time. Unfortunately, not everything is perfect in Tulamben. When we dove there in late June, visibility was just 12-15 meters, and this seldom improves much. Expert underwater photographers and marine biologists, men like Rudie Kuiter, John E. Randall and Roger Steene, dive Tulamben over and over, coming up with great shots and even new species. Australian Rudie Kuiter, author of the definitive guide to Indonesian reef fishes, estimates that some 400 species of reef fishes live on the wreck, which is also visited by perhaps 100 species of pelagics. These are remarkable numbers for an area just 100 meters long.

On our dives we never saw any sharks or other really big fish at Tulamben. There were a few good sized tuna, bonito, several 80-centimeter plus emperors, and jacks, Napoleon wrasses pushing the meter mark, and one huge 80-centimeter scribbled filefish. On the sandy bottom next to the wreck, where I thought rays would abound, I saw only one small eagle ray, and a very large blue-spotted stingray. Both ducked for cover before I could say "Glenfiddich." We also saw a meter-long barracuda, but one of my dive partners, Wolfgang Bresigk of Baruna Water Sports, says a 1.5 meter barracuda regularly forages on the wreck. Another dive buddy, Wally Siagian, saw a huge oceanic sunfish (Mola mola) close to the wreck, four times in a one-week span. On one of these occasions, he saw this most unusual fish being cleaned by several singular bannerfish (Heniochus singularis). Off to one side of the wreck Wally took us to visit a colorful black-spotted moray eel
(Gymnothorax melanospilos), a beautifully marked animal with a yellow body and black markings. The eel lives at the base of a barrel sponge at about 40 meters.

Night Dive on the Wreck

Daytime dives are extraordinary on the wreck, but a night dive, especially around full moon, will be among the most memorable dives you will make.
As we walked along the beach to the entry point, three local fishing outriggers sailed silently by in the moonlight. We waded out, took our bearings, and headed toward the wreck. As we approached the ship, we extinguished our lights. The large hulk loomed above us, a massive ghostly presence with the bright moon a distant pinpoint of light. We kept our lights off for a bit. Each fin-stroke stirred up a twinkling trail of bioluminescence. Peering into the dark hold of the wreck, we saw a magical lights. These were the curious flashlight fishes (Anomalops), each possessed of a bioluminescent organ beneath its eye.
Many sections of the wreck provide the overhangs preferred by the large, bright orange polyps of Tubastraea and Dendrophyllia. These corals are best appreciated at night. At night one can also see crinoids crawling about in search of a new holdfast, or perhaps even swimming, their feathery legs opening and closing in the manner of a octopus. Sometimes when we trained our lights on the wreck, hundreds of red shrimp eyes stared back.Here again, however, the fish are the real stars of the show. We saw a couple of unconcerned common lionfish, and a stunning spotfin lionfish. A large red parrotfish slept, secure in its mucous cocoon, under a shallow overhang. We approached a big map puffer, and several groggy unicornfish.
The most interesting fish we came upon was an absolutely huge barred filefish (Cantherhines dumerili). I spotted the big fella at least 10 meters above me, sleeping under a large lacy plate of coral growing horizontally from the wreck.
My computer screamed its warning just as I Made for this animal, but 1 paid it no heed. My subject was sleeping in a tilted position. After a few shots, I pushed him a bit to correct his posture. He didn't particularly appreciate this, but obliged me anyway. I moved him into the open water. A few more shots, and he had had enough, charging straight for me. We photographers really are a pain.