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East Bali · Diving coast

Amed & Tulamben

A string of quiet fishing bays on Bali's dry east coast, built around one of the best shore dives on Earth.

By Kadek Surya, Bali-based writer⚠ Researched carefully — but I haven't walked this one myself yet · July 2026

Amed isn't one place — it's a string of small fishing bays along Bali's dry northeast coast, wrapped around a single fact: some of the best shore diving in the world is right here, and you can walk to it from the beach. Come for the water and the slow pace. If you want nightlife, beach clubs, or soft golden sand, you're on the wrong side of the island.

What actually trips people up

The name confuses everyone. "Amed" loosely covers about 10 km of coast — from Amed village proper through Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah and Selang — while Tulamben is a separate village ~30 minutes further north, where the famous shipwreck sits. People book "a hotel in Amed" and then realise the wreck is a half-hour drive away. Decide first whether your priority is the wreck (stay Tulamben) or the reef-and-relax life (stay Jemeluk/Lipah).

Second: the beaches are black volcanic sand and pebble, not powder. It's beautiful in an austere, elemental way — outrigger boats lined up against a backdrop of Mount Agung — but it's not a sunbathing-and-cocktails coast. Set that expectation and you'll love it; arrive expecting the Bukit and you'll be let down.

A jukung outrigger hauled up on Amed's black pebble beach, the sea flat behind it — the coast's everyday postcard. — A jukung outrigger hauled up on Amed's black pebble beach — the coast's everyday postcard, and a reset for anyone expecting powder sand.

Jukung boats lined up along the shore, prows to the water, outrigger arms bristling. — The jukung lined up prow-to-sea, the fishermen who work them, and the dark volcanic sand from the water and the air. Tap any image for its source and licence.

Fishermen shouldering a jukung down the black sand at first light. — The jukung lined up prow-to-sea, the fishermen who work them, and the dark volcanic sand from the water and the air. Tap any image for its source and licence.

The USAT Liberty wreck — the reason to come

The USAT Liberty, a US Army cargo ship torpedoed in 1942 and pushed into the sea by Agung's 1963 eruption, lies in 5–30 m of water about 30 m off Tulamben's beach. You walk in over the stones and swim out — no boat needed. It's ~120 m long, thickly coated in coral, and patrolled by big schools of jackfish, bumphead parrotfish and a resident barracuda. It genuinely earns its "world-class shore dive" reputation.

The coral-crusted hull of the USAT Liberty on the sand at Tulamben, light raking down through the blue. — The coral-crusted hull of the USAT Liberty on the sand at Tulamben, light raking down through the blue — a wreck you walk to from the beach.

A diver over the Liberty's bow and propeller at Tulamben, the steel thick with soft coral. — The Liberty at Tulamben: the bow and propeller, the hull looming out of the blue, divers along the ribs, and the coral gardens and fish that have taken it over. Tap any image for its source and licence.

The great hull looming out of the blue, divers' bubbles rising along it — the Liberty at Tulamben. — The Liberty at Tulamben: the bow and propeller, the hull looming out of the blue, divers along the ribs, and the coral gardens and fish that have taken it over. Tap any image for its source and licence.

The honest catch: it's popular, and it knows it. By mid-morning in high season the wreck can get busy with dive groups. Serious divers go at dawn — first in the water, calm surface, the fish most active, and you often have the bow to yourself for a few minutes. It's also a superb freediving and even snorkelling site because the stern reaches near the surface.

Watch out

That "walk in over the stones" carries real gear over loose, wave-rolled cobbles. Local porters — almost all women — carry tanks on their heads for a small fee, and it's genuinely hard work; tip properly. Also mind the entry/exit on a swell, and never touch or stand on the wreck: the coral is alive and the metal is sharp.

Beyond the Liberty

Tulamben also has the Coral Garden and a purpose-sunk shipwreck-and-statues site, plus a deeper Drop-Off wall. Around Amed itself, Jemeluk Bay has an easy house reef and a small underwater "temple" of submerged statues; Japanese Wreck off Banyuning is a shallow, snorkeller-friendly patrol boat. Amed is also Bali's main freediving hub — several schools run courses in the calm, deep-quick water off Jemeluk.

A freediver poised on a submerged structure off Amed, sunlight streaming down through the clear water.

The coral-covered submerged temple off Jemeluk — a small cluster of sunken statues you can reach without a boat. — The submerged 'temple' statues off Jemeluk, freedivers on the line, and the reef fish you meet snorkelling straight off the beach. Tap any image for its source and licence.

A freediver descending a line into the deep — Amed's calm, quickly-deep water makes it Bali's main freediving hub. — The submerged 'temple' statues off Jemeluk, freedivers on the line, and the reef fish you meet snorkelling straight off the beach. Tap any image for its source and licence.

Getting there	~2.5–3 hrs from the airport / south Bali; ~2.5 hrs from Ubud. No convenient public transport — hire a car+driver or ride a scooter (long, winding).
Liberty shore dive	~30 m swim from Tulamben beach; depth 5–30 m; diveable year-round, calmest mornings
Two-tank dive (guided)	~roughly 700k–1,000k IDR incl. gear, varies by shop
Best time	Dry season (Apr–Oct) for the flattest water & best viz; dawn to beat the crowds
Water temp	~27–29°C; a 3mm wetsuit is plenty

Tip

If you dive, book with a shop, not the cheapest freelancer on the beach — check they're PADI/SSI-affiliated with in-date gear and small group sizes. A guided two-tank day on the Liberty and Coral Garden is the classic first outing, and an operator sorts tanks, weights and the porter walk-in for you.

Book a dive / snorkel tripvia ViatorCheck availability

Who it's for (and who should skip it)

Sunrise over Amed's bay, the fishing boats moored and the sun climbing over the hills — the reason people wake early here. — Sunrise over Amed's bay, the boats moored and the sun climbing over the hills — the reason people here wake before it does.

The turquoise curve of the bay with Mount Agung standing faint behind the coast. — The turquoise bay, dawn over the water, and Mount Agung looming behind the whole coast. Tap any image for its source and licence.

Dawn over the coast, Agung a dark silhouette through the cloud and palms. — The turquoise bay, dawn over the water, and Mount Agung looming behind the whole coast. Tap any image for its source and licence.

Come to Amed/Tulamben if you dive or freedive, you want a quiet, cheap, unhurried few days, you like sunrise over the water and Agung looming behind you, or you're threading the east coast between Lempuyang and Lovina. Skip it if you need swimmable soft-sand beaches, a lively scene, or you only have a day — it's too far for a sensible day trip from the south. Most people give it two to three nights, which is about right: a couple of dives, a snorkel, a scooter loop, a lot of doing nothing.

A realistic first day

Dawn on the Liberty

You're at Tulamben beach by first light, gear carried over the cobbles, and you slip into flat water while the wreck is still empty. The hull materialises out of the blue, crusted in coral, jackfish stacking up in a silver tornado above the deck.

Reef and statues off Jemeluk

Back down the coast, an easy afternoon snorkel over Jemeluk's house reef — soft coral, clouds of anthias, and a little cluster of submerged statues just offshore, no boat required.

Sunset behind the jukung

The fishing boats are hauled up in rows on the black sand, prows to the sea. Agung turns pink behind them, a fires up the grill, and that's the whole evening.