The Liberty Wreck - Bali

The Liberty ship is an outstanding shore dive, walking over the same volcanic rocks that forced the ship below the waves after the 1963 from the Mt Agung eruption. Just 30 metres offshore lies the Liberty wreck, torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942. The cargo ship attempted to make it to safe harbour but was forced to run aground on the beach where it was extensively salvaged leaving just an empty hull before pushed into the water by lava flow to the water.

A number of dive shops are located at Tulamben, many are based in other areas and set up on the shore for their dives. Dive Paradise is a Tulamben based operation located right on the shore; it was pretty slow there that day but the guides got us quickly organised and we walked just a short distance to the wreck site. I normally get a hotel in Seminyak, so it is normally a bit of a drive up the island after getting free of the Kuta and Denpasar traffic.  

The drop-off located further down the beach is Tulamben Wall; an excellent dive as a second dive after the wreck. The wall extends out from the beach in a sloping manner until turning vertical, the wall bottoms out at 60 metres. 



I have found the currents are generally mild on the wall; but as you swim around the wall you may be exposed to some fierce currents, I have never been caught in a ripping current at the particular site but that would be more to do with the number of times I have dived this wall. The dive shop itself feels more like a cottage on the sea, great to sit around between dives with a book looking out over the water. 

The dive shop itself is quite quaint; as I was not involved in a large group, we had plenty of room to kit up pre-dive and relax post dive. Washing the equipment afterwards is relatively straightforward with a couple of washstands close by. I just hung my gear on the wall after the second dive and it was nearly dry when it was time to pack up and return. It is a long drive to Kuta, fortunately we had left early in the morning and on the way back spent some time at Amed, this is relatively close. 

The Liberty wreck is the most dived site in Bali, beginning at 3 metres with the deepest part of the wreck at 29 metres. The diversity of life on the ship is extremely interesting; the last dive there, we spotted a large turtle hanging around, we were able to spend a long time observing this magnificent sea creature.

While the ship was extensively salvaged during its 20+ years run aground, it is still an interesting hull to swim around and through. Covered in an extensive coral covering, I always take the time to get a dive or two in on this wreck.