One of the most famous shipwrecks in the world rests just offshore of Bali’s Tulamben. The Liberty’s role in World War 2 and the diversity of its life underwater draws dozens of scuba divers every day.

Built in 1918 in New Jersey, the Liberty is 120m long, 17m in beam and weighed 6,211 tons.

During World War 1, the Liberty made several trips from New York to France, carrying horses and general cargo. By the time the United States entered World War 2 in December of 1941, the Liberty was in the Pacific, continuing its function as a cargo ship.

On January 11th, 1942, the conscripted US cargo ship was carrying rubber and railroad parts from Australia to American bases in the Philippines. During its journey, the Liberty was torpedoed by Japanese submarine in the Lombok Strait.

Wounded but not sunk, she was towed by the accompanying destroyers in the fleet towards Singaraja in North Bali.  It was hoped that she could be repaired there, but she started to take on too much water. Instead, she beached at Tulamben on the North East coast of Bali so that her cargo and fittings could be salvaged.

And there she sat for over 20 years!

Luckily for all levels of divers, the shipwreck rests parallel to the shore. Her highest point rest just 3m down and her lowest at 29m so the whole length of the ship can be enjoyed!

The Liberty wreck is also an easy snorkeling site because it lies just 10 meters from the beach.

In the 50 years since it finally sank, the Liberty has been growing an amazing artificial reef. It is covered in coral and is now home to over 400 species of fish, including being the nightly home to humphead parrotfish.

Shallow water site located in one of the richest and biodiverse regions of Tulamben Bay. It is also the site where we are most likely to see Black Tip sharks cruising the sea. This magnificent coral reef also shelters numerous varieties of Clown fish hiding in the anemones (white, green and blue), accessible to divers of all levels. This diving spot is also ideal for underwater photography. This Coral Garden is an ideal site for beginner and experienced divers. It offers a unique opportunity to compare natural coral and the artificial reef present on the site also filled with rare fishes and coral. At only 30 meters from the shore, 3 Leaf Scorpion fishes reside on the artificial reef.

Batu Kelebit is a good choice for those who like different variety during a dive. No current, big fishes, healthy corals and amazing macros! The do-it-all-at-once dive spot in Bali.

It is located next to Tulamben bay. The spot contains a big range of different structures, big fishes, amazing macros and wonderful corals.

Nice soft and hard corals, gorgonians. Reef sharks, barracuda, cuttle fish, emperor shrimps, large sea cucumbers, peacock mantis shrimps, bump-head parrot fish, jacks, snapper, moray eels.

Seraya is situated half way between Tulamben and Amed. It consists of a stretch of sandy coastline and a few particularly interesting dive sites. Dive Seraya, a paradise for underwater photographers who love macro critters.

Most of the dive sites are muck diving which means diving on top of sandy bottoms. It seems strange for beginner divers but incredible fauna can be spotted on sand, among sea grasses, pebbles, rocks or sponges. Don’t expect anything big! … It’s all about finding the unusual, the unique, the weird creatures that you can find nowhere else! Frogfish, pygmy sea horse, tiger, bumblebee, harlequin or ghost shrimps, Nudibranches, pipefish and ghost pipefish, cowries, hairy squat lobsters, mimic octopus…

To dive Seraya, it is best to get your macro lens or super macro lens on as critters over there are some of the tiniest you can find.

Just on the outer edge of the coral reef, you will enter the water after a quick 5 min boat ride.  The current here is often calm, and the dive is conducted along a vertical wall with a maximum depth of 40m.

Gradually you will make your way along the steep wall, passing giant and ancient gorgonians that cover massive rocks, multicolored fish darting about in the blue, trevally hunting for their next meal, and observing you from beneath your fins is the tiny pink pygmy seahorse, at a minuscule height of 6mm. 

You finish your dive over a shallow plateau bathed in soft sunlight.  From overhead, the shadow of the boat awaits your bubbles…already, it’s time to surface.

An eels carpet covers the sandy bottom in early diving. This is a dive where the current can be quite strong. Looking off the coast, we can see black tip sharks, white tip sharks, Barracudas or Jack fish (tuna family). We let the current carry on this huge site where coral gardens are over 50 meters deep. A full of surprises dive!

The Drop off can be quite an exciting dive with Black-tip Reef Sharks, Groupers, Stingrays and other marine life. It makes for a great wall dive as well a bit of a drift depending on the currents. There is also a chance of seeing Mantas but these are just visitors who pass by now and then.

The depth is between 3 and 21m, accessible to All Levels. 

This is a great site for snorkelers, for discovering scuba diving or new divers wanting to develop their skills in calm, clear and protected waters, coral, critters, sandy slope.

Advanced photographers looking for strange critters will also love this site. Look out for lion fish, moray eels, small frog-fish, leaf scorpion fish, ornate ghost pipe-fish, mimic octopus, seahorses… The reef is very healthy and colorful, it’s like a giant aquarium only a few meters away from the shore.

An aura of mystery surrounds this dive site of Amed. There are several theories explaining the presence and the name of the Japanese shipwreck in the bay of Banyuning. The first one is that « Japanese » is actually a deformation of the word « Javanese”, designating the island where this ship might actually be from, Java. It is said to be a fishing boat that wandered on this side of Bali while looking for some good catch. Considering how much closer from Bali this island is, it would indeed make a lot of sense. Another theory is that it is the wreck of a Japanese patrol ship sunk during the Second World War. Given the presence of victims of this war in the area, like the USAT Liberty, it is also a strong possibility. But some theories are more harebrained. Some people will tell you that the origin of the ship is unknown but that its name comes from the presence of Japanese style toilets aboard. So feel free to take your pick on this matter!

If the wreck itself isn’t as spectacular as the USAT Liberty, the reef that surrounds it and the wildlife that inhabits it simply breathtaking. When diving on the Japanese Wreck of Amed, your eye will first be caught by the thousands of damselfish dancing endlessly around it. If you take a closer look, you’ll be able to observe pygmy seahorses that live in the multiple sea fans that have grown on the wreck. And these sea fans are the most beautiful ones you can see in all of Amed’s dive sites. Tiny hairy crabs and candy crabs can also be spotted, providing that you have good eyesight. Trevallies, sweetlips, leaf scorpionfish, lionfish, blue-spotted lagoon rays and barracudas will also be there to accompany you during this dive on the Japanese wreck of Amed.

Also called Waterloo, this site is only for very experienced divers. Located at the entry of the Lombok strait, the site offers an exceptional coral reef, the marine life here is very different from the one in the areas of Amed and Tulamben but similar to the one you will encounter around Nusa Penida. The site is made of a little bay, the island of Gili Selang closing it and forming the most oriental point of Bali. The density of coral and reef fish here is exceptional, it is also very common to encounter Napoleon fish, Turtles, as well as Reef and Oceanic sharks. Towards the North we find a spot called Three Fingers.