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 Indonesia
is known for having the world’s best diving
and the most diverse sea life anywhere. With over 17,000
islands, spread out over a huge area all around the
equator, you can only imagine the wealth that nature
provides underneath its ocean surface. Bali shares this
wealth and it is one of Indonesia’s most popular
dive destinations.
Situated
in the Indo-Pacific, the richest bio-geographic dive
zone in the world, Bali offers great diversity of marine
life! Here you can dive WWII and other ship wrecks,
explore walls, reefs and sand slopes full of fish. You
can also ""muck about"" for the
unusual critters in rich black volcanic sand on many
of our macro dive sites.
Beautiful
Tulamben
Tulamben was a very quiet fishing village in the dry
lands of Karangasem for a very long period of time.
Nowadays, it’s one of the busiest diving destinations
in Bali. Since the discovery of the sunken USAT Liberty
as a dive site back in the 1980's, Tulamben has been
drawing more and more divers, all wanting to take a
glimpse at this WWII shipwreck.
However, Tulamben bay and surrounding villages have
a lot more to offer than just the USAT Liberty wreck.
With dozens of dive sites, Tulamben can provide weeks
of awesome diving.
Dive
Sites around Tulamben
There ate plenty of dive sites within a 15 minute radius
of Bali Dive Resort and Spa, including the world famous
USAT Liberty Shipwreck.
Our House Reef in front of the resort offers world class
muck diving, which is a paradise for underwater photographers.
With several of Bali’s most famous muck dive sites
reachable within minutes from the resort, there will
be no dull moments.
Tulamben also offers stunning walls and slopes. Enjoy
the sight of corals and sea fans flourishing from
the depths.In the shallows you can find numerous cleaning
stations where you can watch the fish getting cleaned.
The water is usually very clear and most of the time
there is no current at all, which makes Tulamben suitable
for all levels of divers.
USAT Liberty Wreck
 This
is one of the most famous dive sites in Bali.
The wreck is 125 meters long and 17 meters wide. It
sunk in 1963 and sits at about 30 meters off the coast
of Tulamben.
The shallowest point of the wreck is about 5 meters
deep and the deepest point of the wreck is about 30
meters deep.
Easy dive site, accessible from the shore and remarkably
interesting with a great reminder about how nature restores
life everywhere. Anemones, soft and hard corals grow
all over the wreck.
Here you can find both common coral fish and some of
the rarest frogfish, leaf scorpion fish, pygmy
seahorse and mimic octopuses.
Out in the blue you can sometimes spot eagle rays and
different sharks, including whale sharks!
Night and sunrise dives give you the opportunity of
seeing the large family of humphead parrotfish, who
have made the wreck their personal bedroom.
Coral
Garden
 Sitting
between the “USAT Liberty Wreck” and the “Drop
Off”, Coral Garden is a nice coral reef particularly
good for a lazy and shallow dive. Home to many clown
fish, the goral garden is very good for young or inexperienced
divers.
The artificial reef with Balinese statues and temples
attract many different underwater creatures and make
the dive site interesting for all kind of divers.
Moray and ribbon eels are living in the area as well
as nudibranchs and other different macro critters.
The sightings of blacktip reef sharks in the shallow
sandy patch of the garden makes the safety stop extra
enjoyable.
Coral garden also has a deep slope that goes into the
deep ocean. You never know
what to expect coming up to shallower depths from there.
Drop Off
 One
of the top destinations in Tulamben, the “Drop
Off”, is a nice wall absolutely amazing for any
type of experienced diver.
Starting from a depth of only 3 meters the wall reaches
a max depth of over 80 meters! The wall is covered in
sponges and it is home to many different types of marine
life.
Here you can find everything from common reef fish to
the amazing frogfishes. You also go through many different
types of nudibranchs, leaf scorpion fish, clown triggerfish
and octopuses of all sizes during your dive here.
Do not forget to also have a look in the blue, where
we have been spotng different types of sharks, big tunas,
marlin and sometimes even mola mola!
Alamanda
 Alamanda
is just a 5 minute boat ride away from Bali Dive Resort
and Spa in Tulamben.
This dive site is only accessible by boat and it offers
a beautifully covered coral slope holding a lot of treasures.
Alamanda is one of the less dived dive sites in Tulamben,
where you can expect to find a huge diversity of macro
life.
This is also a good location to encounter Sharks, Bumphead
Parrotfish, Napoleon Wrasses and Turtles.
Palung Palung
Located between Drop-Off and Batu Kelebit, Palung-Palung
is
accessed by boat from the Dive Resort at Tulamben which
makes this dive site very convenient.
 As
the boat ride to this dive site only takes about 5 minutes,
the boat will drop us back at the resort after the dive,
where you can enjoy a beverage by the pool during your
surface interval.
Palung Palung means “bowls”, which are formed
by drop-offs, slopes and “fingers” that stretches
out to the blue from the slope.
This dive site is also one of the less dived dive sites
in Tulamben. Here we
can find very healthy corals and sponges with loads
of interesting marine life. Bump head parrotfish, garden
eels and turtles are often spotted in Palung Palung.
Batu Kelebit
 Batu
Kelebit is a pinnacle located 5 minute boat ride away
from Bali Dive Tulamben. Large rocks breaking the surface
indicates the dive site once you get closer.
This is where we will enter the water and start the
dive. In the beginning of the dive, we will see a beautiful
sloping coral reef and as we move deeper on the ridges
the scenery becomes more dramatic and stunning.
Because of the stronger currents and the topography
here, this dive site is rich in plankton, which keeps
the corals healthy and can increase your chance to spot
larger pelagics like great barracudas, napoleon wrasses,
different rays, sharks and tunas.
Emerald
 Just
few minutes ride with the traditional jukung boats will
take us to this amazing dive site, which is the closest
boat dive to Bali Dive Tulamben.
The dive starts in a calm white sand bay, which makes
this dive site special compared to the other black sand
dive sites in this area.
The reef is covered in nice huge elephant-ear sponges
and finger reefs going into the depth.
On the way to the split along the reef, we can often
spot garden eels, bump head parrotfish and ladybugs.
The current can be expected to pick up a little bit
once we reach the reef split and the turning point.
This is also the most interesting part of the dive with
schools of fusiliers, sergeant major fish and
often also bigger creatures like giant trevallies or
eagle rays, which can be seen at the split where the
current is present.
Here we can find an underwater table and have some funny
pictures taken before turning the dive
and heading back to the bay. Remember to have a look
under the table corals where baby sharks and
stingrays are sometimes hiding.
Emerald is suitable for all levels of divers and its
definitely one of our favorite dive sites around
Tulamben.
Pura Segara
 Segara
is the last dive site in the bay where Bali Dive Resort
and Spa is located and it is only a couple of minutes
car drive away.
Segara is a classic black sand dive site and it gently
slopes down with nondescript bottom topography.
This dive site is a true macro life heaven where, with
a good pair of eyes, you can spot Shaun the Sheep nudis,
donut dorids, nudibranchs and frogfishes.
The entry to this dive is probably the easiest in this
area, because of the fine black sand and the minimal
amount of stones on the beach.
If you decide to go left shoulder towards Emerald, you
will
find a nice reef with coral bommies and the bottom full
of stingrays and lionfish.
If you are lucky you may encounter turtles or a school
of big mouth mackerel passing by on the reef.
This feature makes this dive interesting for all divers,
not only macro photographers and muck divers.
Melasti
 Literally
a minute car ride away from our Tulamben resort we reach
another classic black sand dive site called Melasti.
The topography for this dive is easy, a couple of rocks
in the shallows and nothing but a black sand slope.
Although this may sound boring, it is NOT! For macro
and muck divers this is a treasure.
The fine black sand beach makes the entry easy and with
our excellent guides you will have one of the best muck
dives that you have ever done in your life
Make sure to have a good buoyancy control while taking
photos over the black fine sand and be aware of the
currents as there is no place to hide from them.
Shaun the Sheep nudibranchs, donut dorids, nudibranchs,
frogfishes and different species of
octopuses are often found here.
House Reef
 Bali’s
most famous muck diving sites are located just off the
beach in front of our resort in Tulamben.
The black sand together with small patches of corals
offer perfect conditions to spot amazing critters.
With a pair of good spotng eyes, this is the perfect
place for curious divers and photographers with a passion
for the small and unique!
You can spend hours of diving looking for Harlequin,
Boxer and Skeleton shrimps, Frogfish, Ghost pipefish,
Ambon scorpion, Mimic octopus, Stargazers and Sea horses.
Even the elusive Leptocaephalus has been filmed here.
Other common marine animals found on the house reef
are multiple species of moray eels, blue spotted sting
ray, different kinds of lionfish, leaf scorpion fish,
garden eels, shoals of swaying razor fish and just about
any type of nudibranch you can possibly think of!
Our House Reef is, without a doubt, the macro lover’s
heaven!
Seraya Secrets
 Seraya
Secrets is located couple of minutes away from Bali
Dive Tulamben and it is one of the most famous critter
diving sites in Bali, perfect for underwater photographers.
There is a great preparation area on the beach with
rinsing tanks for cameras and toilets. The entry is
an easy walk over small rocks into the water.
Seraya Secrets is a classic macro dive site and common
encounters include Harlequin shrimp, Ornate ghost pipefish,
Pygmy seahorses and occasionally Seahorses and Leopard
moray eels.
It is important to note that all divers should have
good buoyancy control skills and respect for the
environment, even with a big camera. The key is to avoid
bottom stir up sediment while diving
this dive site.
Don’t miss this out! Get your camera ready!
Batu Niti
 Batu
Niti is located about 1,5 km south-east from Bali Dive
Resort and Spa in Tulamben.
The dive site is accessible either by boat or from the
beach. Batu Niti is slightly rockier than the other
macro dive sites around our Tulamben resort.
The slope on Batu Niti has small coral patches and hydroids,
which makes this dive site suitable for all divers,
not only macro photographers.
Sidem
 Located
in a small volcanic stone bay just a few minutes down
south from our Tulamben resort is the dive site called
Sidem.
This is a beautiful and less visited dive site where
we can easily stay for two dives, as the bay is well
equipped with a rest area, showers, rinse tanks, and
toilets.
We start our dives in front of the rest area and can
choose a couple of different ways to perform the dive.
Moving to the middle of the bay we will find an excellent
place for macro underwater photography and critter hunting.
If we choose to dive the right side towards the corner
of the bay, we will find a nice shallow reef full of
hard corals and feather stars suitable for all levels
of divers.
Many different nudibranchs, mantis shrimps, sea moths
and boxer crabs can be spotted in the middle
of the bay, whilst the right side and the corner of
the bay often offers turtles, leaf scorpion fish and
even white Tip reef sharks.
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Some
general information:
 We
flew with Emirates Airlines
from Gatwick:
Departing
from:
Gatwick North Terminal
Baggage Allowance
30kg Hold Luggage
7kg Hand Luggage
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|
|
| Departure |
Arrival |
| Location |
Date |
Time |
Flight
No. |
Location |
Date |
Time |
| ----- |
----- |
|
-----Everyone
Outbound
|
|
| Gatwick |
27/05/24 |
14:30 |
EK016 |
Dubai |
28/05/24 |
00:35 |
| Dubai |
28/05/24 |
03:25 |
EK368 |
Bali |
28/05/24 |
16:35 |
|
-----2
week stay
- Inbound
|
|
| Bali |
07/06/24 |
19:40 |
EK369 |
Dubai |
08/06/24 |
00:45 |
| Dubai |
08/06/24 |
02:45 |
EK011 |
Gatwick |
08/06/24 |
07:20 |
|
-----3
week stay
- Inbound
|
|
| Bali |
14/06/24 |
19:40 |
EK369 |
Dubai |
15/06/24 |
00:45 |
| Dubai |
15/06/24 |
02:45 |
EK011 |
Gatwick |
15/06/24 |
07:20 |
 Indonesia
Entry requirements
To
enter Indonesia, your passport must have an ‘expiry
date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive
and have at least 2 blank pages.
Visas
on arrival
British nationals who visit Indonesia for the following
reasons may apply for a visa on arrival at a cost of
500,000 Indonesian rupiah (£25):
*
tourism
* official visit or government duties
* business or official meeting
* procurement of goods
* transit
The
visa is valid for 30 days. It can be extended once (for
a maximum of 30 days) by making an application to an
immigration office within Indonesia.
You can also apply for an e-visa before
arrival on the Indonesian immigration website:
The
web link is: https://molina.imigrasi.go.id/
Customs
When we arrive in Bali we will need to fill out a customs
declaration form.
This can also be completed on line from 3 days before
we travel. (not before).
The web link is:
https://ecd.beacukai.go.id/
Currency
 The
currency in Indonesia is the Indonesian Rupiah. Each
rupiah is divided into 100 sen.
When
you’re buying currency for Indonesia, look out
for the currency code IDR. And once you’re in Indonesia,
you’ll see the symbol Rp used to show prices.
You’ll
find Indonesian banknotes in denominations of 1000,
2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 50000 and 100000.
There are also 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 rupiah coins.
1
British Pound = 20,000 Rupiah (approx)
CASH
IS KING
You
will need cash for many purchases in Bali.
Paying
drivers, eating at cheaper restaurants, shopping at
markets or small shops or a beer on the beach for example.
Credit
cards are accepted for most accommodation (not smaller
homestay style places) larger more up market restaurants
and department stores.
 B&B
in Horley
Those of us who travelled up from South Wales stayed
overninght in the Lawn Guesthouse B&B in Horley
on the night of 26th, the day before our flight.
This took away the pressure of travelling up to the
airport on the same day as the flight.
It also gave us an extra night out at the start of the
trip!
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Tulamben
Dive Resort & Spa sea front with Mount Agung behind
Mount
Agung is an active volcano in the northeast of Bali. At an
elevation of 3,031 metres (9,944 feet) at its summit It is
the highest point on the island and dominates the surrounding
area influencing the climate, especially rainfall patterns.
From a distance, the mountain appears to be perfectly conical.
