Scuba Diving Bali
Tulamben
There are many more exciting attractions to diving in Tulamben, northeast Bali, than just the Liberty Wreck.
At the east end of the beach is the famous Bali dive site of Tulamben Wall. The wall drops off to 60 metres, has large barrel sponges, and is characterised by 3 main spurs and an overhang at 18 metres. There is 1 magical, purple gorgonian fan at 27 metres. This gargantuan is over 3½ metres tall and in perfect health.
Here you can see small families of bumphead parrotfish, growing close to 2 metres! More commonly you'll see fairy basslets, pufferfish, hawkfish and damselfish. The shallow black ash sand here plays host to ornate ghost pipefish and even cometfish.
Batu Kelebit, or "Kelebit Rocks", is located south east of Tulamben Wall, and is generally known as the dive site with the best visibility in the local area. The rocks are offshore and exposed and therefore the scuba diving conditions can be quite challenging. However, this in turn can lead to some of the most exciting diving on offer in the Tulamben village area.
The 3 steep banked ridges hold 2 protected channels that provide a home to a rich plethora of vibrant and healthy corals and sponges, including green cup corals and black fire corals. Following the ridges down to deeper waters, is when you have the best chances of finding large prowling pelagics such as barracuda, tuna, trevally, as well as white-tip reef sharks, silky sharks and even great hammerhead sharks, attracted to Tulamben from the nearby deep water Lombok Strait, and manta rays.
Tulamben House Reef, located in front of the scuba resorts, is an ideal student learning ground. With shallow areas at 5 metres and a maximum depth of 25 metres, this reef hosts many of the common fish such as wrasses, snappers, parrotfish, butterflyfish, as well as more unusual frogfish, scorpionfish and nudibranchs.
Overall, Tulamben remains the most popular destination for scuba diving in Bali.
Tulamben Reef Basics: Wall diving and reef
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 10 - 30m
Currents: Easy
Surface conditions: Can be rough
Water temperature: 22 - 26°C
Experience level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: 5
Diving season: All year round, but can be difficult December to March
Distance: ~80 km northeast of Kuta (3 hours)
Access: Tulamben dive resorts
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