 Some of Bali's most interesting diving is gound at tulamben, where the shallow wreck of WWII Us cargo ship is now festooned with colourfull corals and schools of tropical fish. It is also one of the few places one can stay on the east coast, north of Candi Dasa. The beach although pebbled, is quite pretty and the water is clear and good for snorkelling. There are numbers of losmen and warung along the main beach, and it can give quite busy here on the weekends and throughtout June and July. The wreck of the Liberty is the most popular dive site on Bali. It was torpedoed by a japanese submarine about 15 km south west of Lombok on 11 January 1942. Two US destroyers tried to tow it to Singaraja, but it started to take in water and was beached at Tulamben. The crew were evacuated, but its cargo of raw rubber and railway parts were never retrieved. It sat in the beach until 1963, when the eruption of Mt. Agung caused it to slip into deeper water where it broke into two pieces. It lies only 50 metres offshore, parralel with the coast, and its bow only metres from surface. There are over 400 species of reef fish, mostly accustomed to divers, and they will often eat out of your hand. The wreck can be visited by up to 40 divers at a time, especially between 11.30am and 4 pm, so avoid the site at that time. |
