Diving in Tulamben: my top 5 dive sites

Since 2012, I have seen the tiny village of Tulamben, on Bali’s northeastern coast, evolving from a sleepy fishing community into one of the most popular diving destinations worldwide. The area now features a stretch of dive resorts, from budget-friendly to luxury options, reaching as far as Kubu further north. Best known for the iconic USAT Liberty shipwreck, Tulamben diving offers a variety of underwater experiences for all skill levels but is, above all, a paradise for macro underwater photographers. It’s not rare to meet famous underwater photographers or stumble upon a photo competition on its pebble beaches. Indeed, the ease of shore diving combined with the rare species spotted in Tulamben’s waters explains the success. When diving in Bali, a trip to its northeast coast is a must for any passionate scuba diver, free diver or snorkeler.

As I’m taking slow travel a step further, I decided to make Amed, 20 minutes away, my regional base while exploring Indonesia and neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. Over a year, it gave me the opportunity to dive each site multiple times in different conditions, revealing the characteristics of each location. After 50 logged dives from Batu Belah to Kubu, over a year, here are my 5 favourite dive sites. While number 1 is obvious, number 2 is my absolute favourite macro dive site in Tulamben.

1. USAT Liberty Shipwreck

The USAT Liberty shipwreck is undoubtedly Tulamben’s most iconic dive site and a must-visit for any diver in Bali. This World War II cargo ship, torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942, ended on the beach but was later pushed into the sea by the eruption of Mount Agung in 1963. Resting between 5 and 30 meters deep, just a short swim from the shore, it is one of the most accessible wreck dives in the world, suitable for divers of all levels.

Diving the USAT Liberty offers a fascinating combination of history and marine life. The wreck is covered in corals and sponges, now home to a diverse array of marine species. Trevallies, sweetlips, barracudas, and batfish are frequent visitors, while sea turtles occasionally say hi. Macro enthusiasts will find a wealth of smaller creatures like nudibranchs and ornate ghost pipefish tucked away in the corals.

Here is the list of the most notorious species I found at the Liberty shipwreck:

• Hawksbill turtle – Eretmochelys imbricata
• Golden spadefish – Platax boersii
• Spotted garden eel – Heteroconger hassi
• Oriental sweetlips – Plectorhinchus vittatus
• Emperor angelfish – Pomacanthus imperator
• Koran angelfish – Pomacanthus semicirculatus
• Maroon clownfish – Premnas biaculeatus
• Leaf scorpionfish (white) – Taenianotus triacanthus
• Harlequin ghost pipefish – Solenostomus paradoxus
• White’s hypselodoris – Hypselodoris whitei
• Painted hypselodoris – Hypselodoris infucata
• Dusky nembrotha – Nembrotha kubaryana
• Blue dragon – Pteraeolidia ianthina
• Black-margined or Cheesecake nudibranch – Doriprismatica atromarginata

Diving the Liberty at sunrise or in the afternoon is best to truly appreciate this site and avoid the busiest times. Early morning dives are especially enchanting, with the calm waters and soft lighting creating a serene atmosphere. Learn more about diving at the USAT Liberty shipwreck in my dedicated article.

My dive log at the Liberty Shipwreck:

• 17/12/2023 : 26 m – 90 min – 28°C
• 17/12/2023 : 28 m – 80 min – 28°C
• 17/12/2023 : 26 m – 90 min – 28°C
• 31/05/2024 : 25 m – 70 min – 28°C
• 06/09/2024 : 26 m – 82 min – 26°C

2. Batu Niti

Located south of Tulamben, Batu Niti boasts volcanic sandy slopes with abundant macro life and many more surprises. Besides being a beautiful beach in a natural setting where cute dogs and baby goats roam, it features the best diversity of critters I could find in Tulamben: nudibranchs, baby frogfish, ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimps and my very first wonderpus octopus. One of the extra reasons that makes me love Batu Niti is the extra friendly team taking care of the divers. While simple, they built some practical and clean installations for scuba divers.

Here is the list of the most notorious species I found in Batu Niti:

• Painted frogfish – Antennarius pictus
• Warty or Clown frogfish – Antennarius maculatus
• Wonderpus octopus – Wonderpus photogenicus
• Harlequin ghost pipefish – Solenostomus paradoxus
• Harlequin shrimp – Hymenocera picta
• Skeleton shrimp – Pariambus typicus
• Harlequin swimming crab – Lissocarcinus laevis
• Limacina or Slug-like cowry – Staphylaea limacine

And this is the list of nudibranch species I saw, starting with a big group from the hypselodoris family:

• Spotted hypselodoris – Hypselodoris maculosa
• Katherine’s hypselodoris – Hypselodoris katherinae
• West wind hypselodoris – Hypselodoris zephyra
• Painted hypselodoris – Hypselodoris infucata
• Iba hypselodoris – Hypselodoris iba
• Bullock’s hypselodoris – Hypselodoris bullocki
• Tryon’s hypselodoris – Hypselodoris tryoni

The following were the most difficult to spot, either because of their size, some being in their juvenile form or being almost transparent like the last one:

• Marvellous favorinus – Favorinus mirabilis
• Ringed favorinus – Favorinus tsuruganus
• Japanese favorinus – Favorinus japonicus
• Flowery thorunna – Thorunna florens
• Danielle’s thorunna – Thorunna daniellae
• Spotted Butterfly – Mourgona sp.2
• Three-lined purple doris – Mexichromis trilineata
• Bus stop nudibranch – Goniobranchus hintuanensis
• Putnam’s aeolis – Eubranchus putnami
• Ghost nudibranch – Melibe engeli

These were among the largest species of nudibranchs I saw; the only reason to miss them is because sometimes we have the mask too close to the sand to spot the tiniest ones, so don’t forget to take some distances once in a while:

• Spanish dancer – Hexabranchus sanguineus
• Kangooroo nudibranch – Ceratosoma tenue
• Denison’s dorid – Dendrodoris krusensternii
• Shaggy Aegires – Aegires villosus

The best route consists of walking to the end of the beach near the temple on the right side and entering the water in front of the buoy. Around the cement block anchoring the buoy, between 18 and 22m, this is where I found the most interesting marine species. Going deeper in Batu Niti has never paid. As your non-decompression time runs out, you swim back to the beginning of the beach in the shallows, where among the rocks and the diamond sea urchins, there are still some excellent surprises to be found. So navigation is pretty straightforward, which is not the case everywhere.

My dive log in Batu Niti:

• 26/05/2024 : 29 m – 73 min – 28°C
• 26/05/2024 : 29 m – 93 min – 27°C
• 01/09/2024 : 20 m – 80 min – 27°C
• 04/09/2024 : 20 m – 71 min – 27°C
• 07/09/2024 : 26 m – 70 min – 27°C
• 21/09/2024 : 19 m – 95 min – 27°C
• 21/09/2024 : 24 m – 97 min – 27°C

3. Batu Ringgit

Located north of Tulamben, Batu Ringgit dive site belongs to the village of Kubu, which has become the latest macro hotspot among passionate underwater photographers (see also Gerombong below). Its topography with volcanic sandy slopes is very similar to Batu Niti’s. Still, the difference here is that it is worth diving deeper, to about 28-30 m. While the diversity of species I met was slightly lower than the other dive sites of my top 5, there is one nudibranch, mostly only found there, that I fell in love with: the Iriomote Phyllodesmium – I had the pleasure to see three of them!

There are two main patches of white hydroids around 28 m deep, and this is among them we look for this elegant white nudibranch. The first time, I was shocked by its size: it’s big; all the individuals I saw were about 10 cm. But if you’re lucky enough to have them lounging with their gracious cerata forming like a white dahlia, you’re in for a great shot. But don’t overjoy too quickly, the slight current I had each time made taking the perfect shot way more challenging than I thought for a nudibranch of this size (no need for a macro lens). And the cherry on top? If you also get an emperor shrimp riding it. Talking about emperor shrimps, I saw another one riding a mexichromis on the same dive.

Here is the list of the most notorious species I found in Batu Ringgit:

• Hawksbill turtle – Eretmochelys imbricata
• Ocellated frogfish – Fowlerichthys ocellatus
• Leaf scorpionfish (white, yellow, pink) – Taenianotus triacanthus
• Harlequin ghost pipefish – Solenostomus paradoxus
• Ornate pipefish – Halicampus macrorhynchus
• Emperor Shrimp – Periclimenes imperator
• Poppe’s Spindle Cowry – Phenacovolva poppei

And this is the list of nudibranch species I saw:

• Iriomote phyllodesmium – Phyllodesmium iriomotense
• Sagami Bay hypselodoris – Hypselodoris sagamiensis
• Kaname hypselodoris – Hypselodoris kaname
• Tryon’s hypselodoris – Hypselodoris tryoni
• Gold and purple chromodoris – Goniobranchus aureopurpureus
• Collingwood’s chromodoris – Goniobranchus collingwoodi
• Ocellated wart slug – Phyllidia ocellata
• Bumpy mexichromis – Mexichromis multituberculata
• Three-lined purple doris – Mexichromis trilineata
• Fireworks stiliger – Stiliger sp.1
• Marvellous favorinus – Favorinus mirabilis
• White-bump thuridilla – Thuridilla albopustulosa

Navigation-wise, it is simple and hard at the same time. If you are going for a casual dive, you do a loop from the entry point in front of the entry point. But things get a bit trickier when you start looking for specific species, such as the Phyllodesmium, because everything looks more or less the same. So, the only way to do this is to have a clear direction at the descent and navigate with the depth gauge in sight. Another point where I have mixed feelings is that the preparation area for the divers is relatively ok at the parking level. But as you go down to the beach among the tall coconut trees, you notice the amount of trash everywhere, and on the way back, I don’t recommend the shower and toilet.

My dive log in Batu Ringgit:

• 11/06/2024 : 29 m – 72 min – 28°C
• 11/06/2024 : 24 m – 73 min – 28°C
• 31/08/2024 : 28 m – 73 min – 26°C
• 03/09/2024 : 30 m – 64 min – 27°C
• 03/09/2024 : 30 m – 80 min – 27°C
• 04/09/2024 : 28 m – 71 min – 27°C

4. Gerombong

Gerombong is all about discovering the tiniest, the most bizarre, but beautiful macro critters. Located the furthest in the north of Tulamben, it is certainly the most popular muck/macro dive site at the moment. And for this exact reason, Gerombong is not making it to the top of my list. Despite a jaw-dropping diversity of nudibranch species (the highest of all the dive sites), a sandy slope but also a beautiful reef, wall and cavern on each side, you’d better keep away from it in high season.

This is the one site where I got the most nervous because of large groups of inexperienced divers who have no idea what buoyancy or frog kicking above the seabed means. If you happen to be near one of their guides and he finds something cool, you’ll find yourself engulfed in a cloud in a matter of seconds. So you’ve been warned: Gerombong is a fantastic dive site, but avoid the months of February, May, and then June to September (if you do the maths, it’s indeed half of the year).

Here is the list of the most notorious species I found in Gerombong:

• Golden spadefish – Platax boersii
• Warty or Clown frogfish – Antennarius maculatus
• Broadclub cuttlefish – Sepia latimanus
• Peacock mantis shrimp – Odontodactylus scyllarus
• Emperor Shrimp – Periclimenes imperator
• Pom-pom or Boxer crab – Lybia tessellata
• Orang-utan crab – Achaeus japonicus

• Streaked chromodoris – Chromodoris strigata
• Verrier’s chromodoris – Goniobranchus verrieri
• Collingwood’s chromodoris – Goniobranchus collingwoodi
• Reliable chromodoris – Goniobranchus fidelis
• Geometric chromodoris – Goniobranchus geometricus
• Bus stop nudibranch – Goniobranchus hintuanensis
• Tryon’s hypselodoris – Hypselodoris tryoni
• Painted hypselodoris – Hypselodoris infucata
• Beautiful Risbecia – Hypselodoris pulchella
• Spotted hypselodoris – Hypselodoris maculosa
• White’s hypselodoris – Hypselodoris whitei
• Pink & purple phyllodesmium – Phyllodesmium poindimiei
• Green & purple phyllodesmium – Phyllodesmium sp.2
• Golden bubble doto – Doto ussi
• Blue-patch godiva – Godiva sp.1
• Ghost nudibranch – Melibe engeli
• Soft coral nudibranch – Tritonia sp.1
• Mushroom coral nudibranch – Reticulidia fungia
• Ornate leaf slug – Elysia ornata
• Ocellated wart slug – Phyllidia ocellata
• Bohol discodoris – Discodoris boholiensis
• Forskal’s side-gilled slug – Pleurobranchus forskalii
• Marvellous favorinus – Favorinus mirabilis
• Swallowtail Headshield Slug – Chelidonura hirundinina
• White-spotted naisdoris – Naisdoris vitiligata

Navigation-wise, Gerombong is a super easy dive site. The pebble beach near the temple, giving the name to the spot, is not that long. The main entry point is on the right side. Watch out for these big pebbles (don’t hesitate to ask for help) because the slope from the parking to the water is steep, besides having them rolling below your feet. At 5 m deep, you directly find a sandy slope with a reef and a wall on your left. And on your right, between 18 and 22 m deep, you have the muck slope where you can find everything and anything (I’ve even witnessed one case of nudibranch cannibalism!).

Similarly to Batu Niti, it doesn’t pay to go deep in Gerombong. However, even staying an hour at 20 m to take sharp pictures of the tiniest nudibranchs can make you drop your non-decompression time faster than you imagine. If you’re a passionate underwater photographer, get Nitrox. In Gerombong, every dive is a surprise. The reef and the wall at the entry on the left were also fantastic, with golden spadefish (batfish family), giant cuttlefish and sea anemones.

My dive log in Gerombong:

• 22/11/2023 : 24 m – 84 min – 28°C
• 16/06/2024 : 25 m – 83 min – 29°C
• 16/06/2024 : 24 m – 88 min – 29°C
• 01/09/2024 : 23 m – 82 min – 27°C
• 07/09/2024 : 26 m – 65 min – 27°C

5. Melasti

Perfect for both beginners and macro enthusiasts, Melasti is one of the classic muck dive sites of Tulamben. But classic doesn’t mean overrated; it is quite the opposite! It was always full of good surprises, and I never felt overwhelmed by the number of divers, although it is very popular. The installations for divers are reasonably good, with benches, tables, showers and rinsing tanks (we’ll pass on the unique toilet, though). The area seems to be cleaned compared to many others in Tulamben.

The dive site covers wide sandy slopes, which progressively go deep with hardly any coral. To be honest, it takes an excellent dive guide to reach the most common species seen in Melasti: the Costasiella and Stiliger nudibranchs. You must first get the rope between cement blocks around 16 m deep. Take a sharp left turn, and between 14 and 18 m, you should see a field of fan green seaweed, the favourite food of the green sheep nudibranch.

But beyond the costasiella and stiliger, which are present all year round, Melasti is often where some of the coolest critters beloved by scuba divers are found: doto nudibranchs, Pikachu nudibranchs and baby frogfish, just to name these. However, about a year ago, everyone stopped to see the yellow rhinopia that stuck around for 3 weeks between November and December.

Here is the list of the most notorious species I found in Melasti:

• Weedy scorpionfish – Rhinopias frondosa
• Hairy Frogfish – Antennarius hispidus
• Warty or Clown frogfish – Antennarius maculatus
• Painted frogfish – Antennarius pictus
• Harlequin shrimp – Hymenocera picta
• Orang-utan crab – Achaeus japonicus
• Pikachu or Black-tipped Thecacera – Thecacera sp.1
• Donut doto – Doto greenamyeri
• West wind hypselodoris – Hypselodoris zephyra
• Painted hypselodoris – Hypselodoris infucata
• White’s hypselodoris – Hypselodoris whitei
• Bumpy mexichromis – Mexichromis multituberculata
• Three-lined purple doris – Mexichromis trilineata
• Mandapam aeolis – Eubranchus mandapamensis
• Putnam’s aeolis – Eubranchus putnami
• Marvellous favorinus – Favorinus mirabilis
• Green sheep nudibranch – Costasiella Kuroshimae
• Ornate stiliger – Stiliger ornatus
• Sandra Millen’s Unidentia – Unidentia sandramillenae
• Red-lined kentrodoris – Jorunna rubescens
• Bus stop nudibranch – Goniobranchus hintuanensis
• Purple okenia – Okenia sp.

As you can see, the list isn’t as long as for the other dive sites, but the diversity is staggering.

My dive log in Melasti:

• 24/11/2023 : 27 m – 70 min – 27°C
• 02/12/2023 : 26 m – 66 min – 28°C
• 16/12/2024 : 28 m – 70 min – 28°C
• 01/06/2024 : 24 m – 65 min – 28°C
• 02/09/2024 : 31 m – 52 min – 26°C
• 02/09/2024 : 26 m – 90 min – 27°C
• 30/12/2024 : 23 m – 52 min – 27°C

The other sites worth a dive in Tulamben

While the top five sites are highlights, Tulamben boasts a range of other incredible dive locations:

• Seraya Secrets: It was almost a tie with Melasti for the 5^th place, only for one species I keep finding dive after dive: the pygmy seahorse. Unfortunately, the amount of trash around also caused it to lose points. On a brighter note, I like that this dive site is not only a sandy slope but has several coral reef ridges between the slopes, besides a lovely shallow coral garden with some artificial structure to boost it all, where oriental sweetlips love to hang around. Other interesting species included porcelain crab, hairy squat lobster, crested nembrotha and Indian caloria nudibranchs.

• Boga Shipwreck: This intentionally sunk ship rests between 18 and 40 m deep. Its three decks make it the ideal spot for those looking to get wreck diving certified. While the wheel makes for awesome pictures on the upper deck, unfortunately, you have to know it’s not the original one. There is a bit of an approach swim underwater from the water entry point, but the reef is beautiful, with many giant barrel sponges and sea anemones. In case of strong winds, it is the most challenging shore dive site from an entry and exit point of view. Cool critters spotted there included ribbon eel, clownfish and Tryon’s hypselodoris.

• Agung: This is a good alternative dive site when there are too many people in Melasti or Gerombong. Every time I went there, my buddy team was the only one. It features a sloping sandy bottom with sponges, and hydroids. Among the critters we found there, I liked the clown frogfish, harlequin shrimps and pom-pom crabs, but I also spotted nudibranch species I never saw again later anywhere else: Trinchesia yamasui and Diversidoris flava.

• Sidem: Located in Batu Belah, between Amed and Tulamben, this is the macro photo dive spot for those in the know; hence, it’s never crowded. There is a rather nice area for preparing the gear for divers and a good shower. The sandy slope is curved, following the shape of the bay. The best species encountered included spiny seahorses, warty frogfish, peacock mantis shrimps, porcelain crabs and for the nudibranchs, Miamira sinuata and Halgerda willeyi.

These are other sites I explored, but my experiences ranged from mixed-feeling to total disappointment:

• Drop-Off: A steep wall formed by lava flow, descending over 70 meters and adorned with large gorgonians and sea anemones. Nice, but if you want some reef and wall dives, I prefer diving in Amed and explore Jemeluk and Bunutan.
• Cantik Point: It is actually the same dive site as Melasti, with poorer installations.
• Kwanji: Usually quiet, the sponges covering the sandy slopes are king of interesting as it differs from other dive sites. While spotting two baby frogfish was cool, the fact I didn’t see any other nudibranch but a mexichromis wasn’t enough to make me fall in love.
• Tai Sapi: I went there to photograph Doto donuts as they were nowhere else to be found last September. We found them and nothing else. Literally no installation for divers but a bucket of water, but at least you are almost sure you’ll be alone in the water (for the anecdote, the name of the site means “cow shit” in Indonesian).
• Coral Garden: No need to waste a tank there. I dived it so you don’t have to. It’s a collection of cheesy underwater statues in rather bad shape meant for obviously try dive; even by digging in the sand, you won’t get below 8 m deep.

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My top tips for going diving in Tulamben

I summed up below everything you need to know to prepare for your trip to go diving in Tulamben: best season, water temperatures, best dive centre and the best places to stay.

When to go diving in Tulamben?

The best time to dive in Tulamben is from May to October, which is the dry season with water temperatures between 26 and 28°C and visilibility between 20 and 30 m. However, you can dive in Tulamben all year round; you will have slightly lower visibility conditions than for the rest of the year. I recommend using a 3mm wetsuit with booties and adjustable fins.

Regarding the rainy season, now I have been through it 3 times, including my very first trip to Bali, I had a mix of conditions. Most of the time, it’s sunny in the morning, which is usually when we go diving, and it rains for a couple of hours in the afternoon and again at night. This is also when the water is at its warmest between 28 and 30°C. However, I’m currently going a strong rainy season with full days of rain due to the climatic phenomenon of La Niña.

Which dive centre to choose in Tulamben?

Tulamben is a shore diving spot, so you can easily scuba dive from sunrise to sunset. It’s an excellent place for scuba diving addicts looking to dive as much as possible. You are only a short drive away from any dive site in the area going from Kubu to Lipah.

Dive Concepts offers training and guided dives at the best price, including free pick-up in the Tulamben & Amed area and free Nitrox for certified divers. Their little café in the shade of their pergola and frangipani trees is a great chill spot to unwind with watermelon juice at the surface interval or while your dive gear is dip drying. Their dive centre is only a 2-minute drive from the USAT Liberty shipwreck; they are one of the closest dive centres to the shipwreck. Their Indonesian divemasters are incredibly skilled, but my recommendation to my fellow underwater photographers is to ask for Gita or Yoko, and you won’t be disappointed!

Where to stay in Tulamben?

The Matahari Dive Resort is an institution run by a local family since 1991. They were among the first to open on Tulamben beach. Located right between the USAT Liberty and the drop-off dive sites, it’s a great money-saving option for those travelling on a budget. Their standard room is small and basic but clean and cute with their small terrasse. They now have more modern and comfortable Deluxe rooms; however, these are the closest to the street, so try to request #18 or #19 if you want more tranquillity.

The resort has relatively narrow ground; the rooms, pool, restaurant, and dive centre are a bit on top of each other, but it feels cute and homey. It has been maintained well over the years, as I recently rechecked it. My favourite point remains their small spa, where you can hear the sound of the waves during your Balinese massage.

Night starts at 350,000 IDR (about 20€)

Here are two ocean-front options for those looking to splurge for their diving holidays in Bali. I didn’t stay since I currently have a house in Amed, but after shortlisting the best resorts on Google Maps, I visited and asked to see the rooms unannounced.

I found that the Mimpi Dive Resort has it all: the location near the Drop-off dive site on the beach, The overly friendly staff and the elegant Balinese-style cottages. Among beautifully manicured gardens, they have 4 stunning seafront private villas. But even the garden cottages didn’t fail to impress me with their inner garden and outdoor shower. You can choose between a double room or a twin room where 2 other beds can be fitted (including one on top of the mezzanine). This last option is great for groups of friends who can split the cost and enjoy a diving holiday in style for less.

Night starts at 1,200,000 IDR (about 68€)

There is no denying that the Relax Bali Dive Resort has by far the most beautiful swimming pool in the area, and its rooms are the most spacious. However, I found the resort too isolated in Kubu (especially for those not driving). But if absolute tranquillity in a modern resort is what you are looking for, you’ll be in for a treat. They have independent deluxe bungalows and superior rooms at their sister location, Monkey Bungalow, across the street. All rooms are facing the ocean.

Night starts at 1,710,000 IDR (about 97€)

Note that the high season in Tulamben is July- August, and the period over the Christmas holidays is when prices are higher.

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