TULAMBEN DIVE SITES

This is one of the most famous dive sites in Bali. The wreck is 125 meters long and 17 meters wide. It sunk in 1963 and sits at about 30 meters off the coast of Tulamben. The shallowest point of the wreck is about 5 meters deep and the deepest point of the wreck is about 30 meters deep. Easy dive site, accessible from the shore and remarkably interesting with a great reminder about how nature creates life everywhere. Anemones, soft and hard corals are grown all over the wreck. Here you can find both common coral fish and some of the rarest frogfish, leaf scorpion fish, pygmy seahorse and mimic octopuses. Out in the blue you can sometimes spot eagle rays and different sharks, including the most beautiful whale shark! Night and sunrise dives give you the opportunity of seeing the big family of humphead parrotfish, who have made the wreck their personal bedroom.

Sitting between the “USAT Liberty Wreck” and the “Drop Off”, Coral Garden is a nice coral reef particularly good for a lazy and shallow dive. Home to many clown fish, the goral garden is very good for young divers.

The artificial reef with Balinese statues and temples are attracting different underwater creatures and are quite common to make the dive site interesting for all kind of divers. Moray and ribbon eels are living in the area as well as nudibranchs and other different macro critters.

The sightings of blacktip reef sharks in the shallow sandy patch of the garden makes the safety stop extra enjoyable. Coral garden also has a deep slope that goes into the deep ocean. You never know what to expect coming to a shallower depths from there.

One of the top destinations in Tulamben, the “Drop Off”, is a nice wall absolutely amazing for any type of experienced diver. Starting from a depth of only 3 meters the wall reaches a max depth of over 80 meters! The wall is covered in sponges and it is home to many different types of marine life. Here you can find everything from common reef fish to the amazing frogfishes. You also go through many different types of nudibranchs, leaf scorpion fish, clown triggerfish and octopuses of all sizes during your dive here.

Do not forget to also have a look in the blue, where we have been spotting different types of sharks, big tunas, marlin and sometimes even mola mola!

Alamanda is just a 5 minute boat ride away from Bali Dive Resort and Spa in Tulamben. This dive site is only accessible by boat and it offers a beautifully covered coral slope holding a lot of treasures. Alamanda is one of the less dived dive sites in Tulamben, where you can expect to find a lot of macro life with the occasion to also spot Sharks, Bumphead Parrotfish, Napoleon Wrasses and even turtles.

Located between Drop-Off and Batu Kelebit, Palung-Palung is accessed by boat from Bali Dive Tulamben which makes this dive site very convenient. As the boat ride to this dive site only takes about 5 minutes, the boat will drop us back at the resort after the dive, where you can enjoy a beverage by the pool during your surface interval.

Palung Palung means “bowls”, which are formed by drop-offs, slopes and “fingers” that stretches out to the blue from the slope. This dive site is also one of the less dived dive sites in Tulamben. Here we can find very healthy corals and sponges with loads of interesting marine life. Bump head parrotfish, garden eels and turtles are often spotted in Palung Palung.

Batu Kelebit is a pinnacle located 5 minute boat ride away from Bali Dive Tulamben. Large rocks breaking the surface indicates the dive site once you get closer. This is where we will enter the water and start the dive. In the beginning of the dive, we will see a beautiful sloping coral reef and as we move deeper on the ridges the scenery becomes more dramatic and stunning.
Because of the stronger currents and the topography here, this dive site is rich in plankton, which keeps the corals healthy and can increase your chance to spot larger pelagics like great barracudas, napoleon wrasses, different rays, sharks and tunas.

Just few minute ride with the traditional jukung boats will take us to this amazing dive site, which is the closest boat dive to Bali Dive Tulamben. The dive starts in a calm white sand bay, which makes this dive site special compared to the other black sand dive sites in this area. The reef is covered in nice huge elephant-ear sponges and finger reefs going into the depth. On the way to the split along the reef, we can often spot garden eels, bump head parrotfish and ladybugs.

The current can be expected to pick up a little bit once we reach the reef split and the turning point. This is also the most interesting part of the dive with schools of fusiliers, sergeant major fish and often also bigger creatures like giant trevallies or eagle rays, which can be seen at the split where the current is present.

Here we can find an underwater table and have some funny pictures taken before turning the dive and heading back to the bay. Remember to have a look under the table corals where baby sharks and stingrays are sometimes hiding.

Emerald is suitable for all levels of divers and its definitely one of our favorite dive sites around Tulamben.

Segara is the last dive site in the bay where Bali Dive Resort and Spa is located and it is only a couple of minutes car drive away. Segara is a classic black sand dive site and it gently slopes down with nondescript bottom topography. This dive site is a true macro life heaven where, with a good pair of eyes, you can spot Shaun the Sheep nudis, donut dorids nudibranchs and frogfishes.

The entry to this dive is probably the easiest in this area, because of the fine black sand and the minimal amount of stones on the beach. If you decide to go left shoulder towards Emerald, you will find a nice reef with coral bommies and the bottom full of stingrays and lionfish. If you are lucky you may encounter turtles or a school of big mouth mackerels passing by on the reef. This feature makes this dive interesting for all divers, not only macro photographers and muck divers.

Literally a minute car ride away from our Tulamben resort we reach another classic black sand dive site called Melasti. The topography for this dive is easy, a couple of rocks in the shallows and nothing but a back sand slope. Although this may sound boring, it is NOT! For macro and muck divers this is an ideal diamond.

The fine black sand beach makes the entry easy and with our excellent guides you will have one of the best muck dives that you have ever done in your life. Make sure to have a good buoyancy control while taking photos over the black fine sand and be aware of the currents as there is no place to hide from them.

Shaun the Sheep nudibranchs, donut dorids nudibranchs, frogfishes and different species of octopuses are often found here.

Bali’s most famous muck diving sites are located just off the beach in front of our resort in Tulamben. The black sand together with small patches of corals offer perfect conditions to spot amazing critters. With a pair of good spotting eyes, this is the perfect place for curious divers and photographers with a passion for the small and unique!

You can spend hours of diving looking for Harlequin, Boxer and Skeleton shrimps, Frogfish, Ghost pipefish, Ambon scorpion, Mimic octopus, Stargazers and Sea horses. Even the elusive Leptocaephalus has been filmed here.

Other common marine animals found on the house reef are multiple species of moray eels, blue spotted sting ray, different kinds of lionfish, leaf scorpion fish, garden eels, shoals of swaying razor fish and just about any type of nudibranch you can possibly think of!

Our House Reef is, without a doubt, the macro lover’s heaven!

Seraya Secrets is located couple of minutes away from Bali Dive Tulamben and it is one of the most famous critter diving sites in Bali, perfect for underwater photographers. There is a great preparation area on the beach with rinsing tanks for cameras and toilets. The entry is an easy walk over small rocks into the water.

Seraya Secret is a classic macro dive site and common encounters include Harlequin shrimp, Ornate ghost pipefish, Pygmy seahorses and occasionally Seahorses and Leopard moray eels.

It is important to note that all divers should have good buoyancy control skills and respect for the environment, even with a big camera. The key is to avoid bottom stir up and destruction while diving this dive site.

Don’t miss this out! Get your camera ready!

Batu Niti is located about 1,5 km south-east from Bali Dive Resort and Spa in Tulamben. The dive site is accessible either by boat or from the beach. Batu Niti is slightly rockier than the other macro dive sites around our Tulamben resort.

The slope on Batu Niti has small coral patches and hydroids, which makes this dive site suitable for all divers, not only macro photographers.

Located in a small volcanic stone bay just a few minutes down south from our Tulamben resort is the dive site called Sidem. This is a beautiful and less visited dive site where we can easily stay for two dives, as the bay is well equipped with a rest area, showers, rinse tanks, and toilets.

We start our dives in front of the rest area and can choose a couple of different ways to perform the dive. Moving to the middle of the bay we will find an excellent place for macro underwater photography and critter hunting. If we choose to dive the right side towards the corner of the bay, we will find a nice shallow reef full of hard corals and feather stars suitable for all levels of divers.

Many different nudibranchs, mantis shrimps, sea moths and boxer crabs can be spotted in the middle of the bay, whilst the right side and the corner of the bay often offers turtles, leaf scorpion fish and even white tip reef sharks.