One of Bali's prime dive destinations is the Tulamben. Visiting Tulamben is a must for divers whenever they are in Bali. When you arrived at Tulamben, the most popular dive sites are of course the USS Liberty Shipwreck, the drop off, Coral Gardens and Alamanda.
Tulamben is internationally renowned for its dive sites and is prized for its easy diving and amazing biodiversity.
Tulamben is one of Bali's most frequented diving spots, the water was calm and there was a light breeze of refreshing wind. This spot has both soft and hard coral with light density. Yet, they were rich with marine life, including Napoleon fish, pipefish, parrotfish and clownfish. Even barracudas, which had sharp teeth, were seen swimming nearby .
At the end of the slope you could see the Drop Off's topography in the form of vertical walls whose depth could reach tens of meters.
The wall was heavily decorated with sponges and black coral. The marine life at this site is not very different to the Shipwreck site. There were butterflyfish, angelfish, Moorish idols and many other small fish with striking colors.
Tulamben waters have relatively good visibility ranging between 12 and 30 meters. Its subtle currents make this place suitable for divers of any level.
The beach is fist-sized black volcanic rocks that become sand in the shallows. This black sand does not provide the reflective properties of white limestone sand and, combined with the amount of plankton in the water, accounts for the relatively low visibility (12-25M). It does however provide a dramatic contrast, which brings out the colours of the corals, gorgonians, fish and other marinelife.
The 100s of macro-species that live here both blend and contrast beautifully with the sand.
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 pelagics but it is the permanent population of Tulamben that brings people here for the 1st and 100th time.
You can also snorkel on the wreck - the highest point of the stern is about 4m below the surface. The wreck is very popular with photographers as it is totally encrusted in anemone, gorgonia and corals. The black sand provides an excellent colour contrast for the incredible variety of marinelife, which includes a huge school (literally 100s) of 10-12inch silver fish called Big-Eyed Trevally and over 400 other species of fish.<
The back reef at the top of the Wall, averaging 5M, contains an excellent 'aquarium section', including cuttlefish, octopus, boxer crabs and many other unexpected treasures, enabling you to finish your dive at around 5m for pretty much as long as you want to. This is, of course, also very popular with snorkellers.
The depth and location make the Coral Garden a very good, and popular, Night Dive on which you may see Spanish Dancers and flashlight fish. if you carry on down the sand slope, you'll find barrel sponges with many surprises: juvenile Emperor Angelfish, Two-spot Lionfish, maybe a school of juvenile catfish; cleaning stations with shrimp and wrasse, a shoal of Razorfish swaying in their hiding place.
If you continue along the slope, towards the start of the Drop-off, you'll come to a dry river bed, scooped out into a bowl-shape, marked by ridges radiating outwards. These ridges are often the best places in Tulamben to find unexpected specimens. Although it is certainly not an area for divers looking for a profusion of marinelife!
