Bali - The Liberty Wreck

I managed to get a few dives on the Liberty Wreck at Tulamben in Bali when I was there in January and was surprised at just how healthy the marine life on the wreck is despite the very large number of divers who visit it. There is a new resort right by the wreck and two more at Kubo just west of Tulamben, plus the seemingly endless number of divers who come up daily from the south to dive the Liberty.

The resorts at Kubo appear to cater for mainly Europeans and seem to be based on using a large bus to get the divers to Tulamben, but were empty when I was there in the middle of January, but had apparently been full over Xmas and New Year.

Quite what this means overall for the wreck going forward seems to be anybody's guess, but it is hard to see it as sustainable...

I have updated the pages on my site for both the Liberty Wreck and Tulamben Bay as a result of the trip. I also had a very close encounter with George, the resident large barracuda who is often seen in and around the stern of the wreck - he was out in the open sandy area just east of the stern when I dropped in and allowed me to get close enough to nearly fill the frame of my fish-eye lens.

He's a pretty cool dude!

Nice corals: have you any pictures of the wreck as a wreck? What condition is the hull in?

Tim

Nice corals: have you any pictures of the wreck as a wreck? What condition is the hull in?

 

Tim

 

Hi Tim, yes I have - give me a few days and I will put something together, but basically while its clear there is an impact on the wreck from the very high traffic it is not as bad as you might think.

Don

The hull is in less than pristine condition thanks to enemy action, years on the beach and the volcano that finally put it back in the sea!

http://www.divernet.com/Travel_Features/fa...ty_in_bali.html

The hull is in less than pristine condition...

Maybe not pristine, but fascinating nonetheless!

Tim

The hull is in less than pristine condition thanks to enemy action, years on the beach and the volcano that finally put it back in the sea!

http://www.divernet.com/Travel_Features/fa...ty_in_bali.html

Don't forget fish feces and underwater weed action.

Maybe not pristine, but fascinating nonetheless!

 

Tim

 

Tim, if you've never been, it's probably the best wreck dive in the world for marine life with accessibility. Muck, coral, mini pelagic (ok the barracuda is pretty big!) and sometimes even a real pelagic like a Mola2, all of which less than 200m from shore and max depth around 35m. Can't get any better... except maybe getting rid of the other divers!

... if you've never been, it's probably the best wreck dive in the world for marine life with accessibility...

I'm going to Bali for the first time later in the year, which is why I spotted this thread...

Tim

Nice corals: have you any pictures of the wreck as a wreck? What condition is the hull in?

 

Tim

 

Tim, I went through my images from January and added a gallery showing what I have of the inside of the wreck and the condition of the hull etc. Here is the LINK to the updated page - scroll down the page and you will see it...

Don

Nice piccie of George - mine was not as good. We stayed at Scuba Seraya (just round the corner from the Liberty) last year after doing the Komodo Dancer liveaboard. The liveaboard was a fantastic trip (do a bit of everything; muck, drift, mantas, see the Komodo Dragons etc.) and diving in Bali is excellent especially if you like macro...

Tim, I went through my images from January and added a gallery showing what I have of the inside of the wreck and the condition of the hull etc.

Thanks! Compared to what I have recently dived (unseasonable green soup) in the Shetland Islands, this looks quite enticing. I like the fish inside the wreck and there seems scope to do some nice model shots.

Tim

Don how did you find the Liberty Resort as I have booked it for December?

Regards Mark

liberty is in the midst of a major expansion, should be done in aq couple of weeks, huge new pool, restaurant, new bungalows, should be nice by december. The dive guides are great and the location, a few hundred yards from the wreck, is great.