Diving holidays: Liberty wreck, Tulamben, Indonesia
Each week ActivityAway.co.uk has been taking you on a tour of the world’s oceans, finding out insider tips and giving you the low down on some of the world’s best dive sites. This week we’re looking at the Liberty wreck off the coast of tropical Bali.
Where is it?
The Liberty wreck dive lies just off the coast of the village of Tulamben on the northeast coast of the popular Indonesia island of Bali.
What’s it all about?
Indonesia is not too well known for its dive spots, but it actually has some great gems. The Liberty wreck dive is probably one of Indonesia’s better known and popular dive sites though. The Liberty cargo ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during World War II and today is blanketed by an array of soft coral, providing a haven for marine life.
What’s the diving like?
The diving here can be very dark and atmospheric because of the black volcanic rocks that carpet the bottom of the sea, this means relatively low visibility of around 12-25m, however you will still get to see a vast amount of colourful corals and wildlife. Night dives are particularly good here too.
The depth varies anywhere from 3-28m and below currents are easy to navigate, although conditions on the surface can be a bit rough.
Many large fish species inhabit the area around the wreck and you are likely to see a number of sunfish, great barracudas, Napoleon fish, and scribbled filefish. Other reef fish that hide amongst the corrals include peacock groupers, surgeonfish, lionfish, parrot fish, angelfish and eels.
Diving is best here between April and November, to avoid the bad weather conditions. The wreck is also very easily accessible from the beach, so it is possible to snorkel here too.
Dive companies
There are a number of dive companies in and around Tulamben, two of the best are Tulamben Wreck Divers, who specialise in taking tours to this dive site and provide training too; and Bali International Diving Professional, who has over 25 years of experience and is PADI and SSI certified dive centre
Accommodation options
A lot of the accommodation options in Tulamben are only a couple of years old and a bit disorganised, although there are some lovely places to stay. If you’re here for diving though one of the best places is the Tulamben Wreck Divers own resort, consisting of stylish suites, luxurious penthouses and beachfront villas with communal pool and great service.
Interesting fact ... The Liberty Ship’s captain managed to drive the ship all the way back to a beach at Tulamben, from the Lombok Strait, after it had been torpedoed. The ship remained on the beach until 1963, when lava flow from Bali’s last great volcanic eruption pushed the boat back into the water.
Best suited to... Intermediate divers
