The USAT Liberty sits in 5 to 30 metres of water, 30 metres from Tulamben's shore. The 120-metre cargo ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Lombok Strait in January 1942, towed to Tulamben's beach for salvage, then pushed into deeper water by the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung.
Coral encrustation now covers the hull, masts, and cargo holds, creating a reef structure that hosts barracuda schools, bumphead parrotfish, and resident sweetlips.
Tulamben's volcanic sand slopes and minimal current make the Liberty one of the most accessible wreck dives in Southeast Asia. Entry is by shore, eliminating boat fees and weather delays. Visibility averages 15 to 25 metres during dry season months. The wreck's shallow depth allows extended bottom time and makes it suitable for Open Water divers. Advanced divers descend to the bow section at 28 metres, where the hull opens to reveal engine machinery and resident Napoleon wrasse.
Beyond the Liberty, Tulamben's dive sites include the Drop Off, a volcanic wall descending to 70 metres with gorgonian fans and pelagic traffic, and the Coral Garden, a shallow reef used for training dives and macro photography. Pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish, and frogfish inhabit the black sand slopes. Night dives reveal Spanish dancers, hunting octopus, and bioluminescent plankton. The bay's protected status since 2005 enforces a government and village conservation fee of 25,000 IDR per diver per day, funding reef monitoring and waste collection.
Dive operators in Tulamben offer discovery programs for non-certified divers, two-tank packages for certified divers, and PADI Open Water courses conducted over three days. Equipment rental, transport from South Bali, and snorkeling trips to the wreck are widely available. Early morning slots between 06:30 and 08:30 offer the calmest water and highest visibility before midday wind picks up.
5 hr
