Villa Markisa, Tulamben

For most people, Tulamben’s diving is famous for one thing only – the wreck of the USAT Liberty which lies just meters off the beach. Although no Tulamben diving package would be complete without visiting this famous wreck, the area also offers some fantastic reef dive sites to the east and west – well known for their biodiversity. In fact, Tulamben has some of the highest numbers of fish and invertebrate species recorded in Indonesia.

The Liberty Wreck dive site

Tulamben’s Liberty Wreck dive site lies roughly 40m from the beach, with the shallowest parts sitting in just a few meters of water. The boat rests on its side with the bow pointing to the north and the superstructure facing away from the beach towards deeper water. To dive the wreck, visitors simply gear up on the beach and swim out across a sandy plain. Divers can then descend into the deeper sections where they can investigate the engine room, swim out to the bow, or search for the remains of the stern gun.

Exploring the structure of the wreck is an amazing experience in itself! But for most visitors, it is the sheer diversity and amount of life that makes this dive so special. Today, the entire wreck is carpeted in soft corals, sponges and other encrusting life, all surrounded by clouds of reef fish, both big and small. In fact, the Liberty has become renowned for its schools of jackfish and bumphead parrotfish as well as resident great barracuda. Bigger fish are often spotted around the wreck including turtles, reef sharks, eagle rays and even the elusive mola mola during the summer months. Visitors can also find loads of interesting macro life as well as sweetlips, anemonefish, filefish, and more. 

A second, far smaller wreck can now be found at Kubu, to the northwest. This site is also great for both beginners and more experienced divers, with plenty of marine life, a VW vehicle in the storage area, and a short swim-through to explore.

Coral Garden and The Drop-Off

Heading east from the Liberty, guests will find several more of Tulamben’s superb dive sites. The closest is Coral Garden, also known as Paradise Reef, with its sloping coral reef extending out into the bay. This area is well known for its biodiversity and is a fantastic spot to find interesting juveniles, ribbon eels, camouflaged scorpionfish and the elusive cornetfish. Macro life is also prolific here and there are always lots of interesting nudibranchs and crustaceans. 

Further east still, lies The Drop Off, featuring a sheer wall section dropping off into the depths and some big sponges and sea fans. This site is well known for sightings of bigger fish when the currents run around the headland, but is also home to some beautiful schools of fish in the shallows. 

More diving east of the wreck

Further east is Emerald, Batu Kelebit, Alamanda and other sites, including the well-known muck diving sites at Seraya. These dive sites feature short walls separated by saddles of coral and sand chutes. There are some nice areas of corals, big sponges and sea fans, and fields of the feathery hydroids. These sites are ideal for spotting big cuttlefish in the shallows and reef sharks cruising in deeper water. Visitors may also find small schools of snapper, sweetlips and goatfish, as well as critters like leaf scorpionfish, nudibranchs and the occasional ghost pipefish.