Amed & Tulamben

Amed and Tulamben are two quiet fishing villages on Bali’s northeast coast, where black volcanic beaches slope into calm, clear water. Visitors come mainly to snorkel and dive, above all at the wreck of the USAT Liberty, which lies just off Tulamben beach.

History

Tulamben was a small fishing village long before it became known to divers. Its fame rests on the USAT Liberty, a cargo ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942 and towed to the beach, where it was left to rest on the shore. The village sits on a stretch of coast with very little flat land, so the sea has always been central to how people here made a living.

In 1963 Mount Agung erupted, and the shaking is said to have pushed the wreck into the sea. It now lies roughly 130 metres long on a gently sloping seabed, and divers began visiting it in the 1960s. Today coral and fish cover the hull, and the top of it lies only a few metres below the surface. Because the wreck lies close to shore and in fairly shallow water, it remains one of the most accessible wreck dives in the region, and snorkellers can see much of it too.

Meaning and culture

The coast here is shaped by Mount Agung, which Balinese people hold to be the island’s most sacred mountain. Its black volcanic sand and its presence on the skyline remind you that life in this part of Karangasem has always followed the mountain’s moods. Many Balinese see the mountain as a seat of the gods, so its eruptions are remembered with a mix of respect and caution, not simply as a natural event.

Around Amed, families still work coastal salt pans, letting seawater flow in at high tide and harvesting crystals once the sun has dried them. Fishermen continue to go out in small outrigger canoes alongside the dive trade, so the working village life and the visitor economy sit side by side. Visiting a salt pan or watching boats come in gives a quieter picture of Amed than the dive shops do, and local families are usually glad to explain their work.

What to see

• The USAT Liberty wreck, reachable by snorkel from the beach
• Jemeluk and Lipah bays for easy shore snorkelling
• Traditional salt pans along the Amed coast
• Mount Agung seen from the shoreline at sunrise

Good to know

• Arrive early at the wreck, before the day boats and crowds
• Wear reef-safe sun protection and a rash vest; the sea is calm but the sun is strong
• Hire a driver, as the coastal road is winding and partly rough
• Beach shoes help on the pebbly volcanic shore