Bali is situated just east of Java and west of Lombok and is one of the 17,000 islands of the Indonesian archipelago. It may be small in size but its prominence as a destination is huge, and rightfully so! Whether you are a “hardcore” or a “soft” diver, a nature or an art lover, traveling with a non-diver companion or with kids, there is something for everyone on the Island of the Gods.

Views over picturesque rice terraces, tranquil mountain lakes and a stunning coastline are breathtaking. Hindu temples dot the landscape, atmospheric ceremonies are organized almost daily, and the artistic swirl of Ubud is a counterpoint to misty treks amid the active volcanoes. All of this combined with the friendliness of the Balinese people, glorious weather and white, gray and black sand beaches make Bali one of the world’s most fascinating islands.

Amed-Tulamben’s 20+ dive sites range in depth from 3 to 40 meters. Diving is excellent year round, with the exception of January and February, where conditions can be poor. The visibility is usually between 10 and 30m, with an average of 20m. Dive sites are accessed from the shore or by boat. It takes between 5 and 30 minutes to reach dive spots.

Most dive sites are accessible to Padi Open Water divers (or equivalent), although a few spots are recommended to Advanced divers, because of their depth and occasional strong (and down) currents.

The area is world renowned primarily because of the famous USS Liberty wreck. With wonderful soft corals and a great variety of marine life, from ribbon eels and cleaner shrimps to barracudas and schooling jacks, the wreck clearly deserves its reputation! However, many spots around Amed and Tulamben are fantastic (and much less crowded than the Liberty…) and offer a great variety of world class diving experiences.

Stunning drop-offs are covered with impressive gorgonians (up to 3 meters high!), hard and soft corals, and are occasionally visited by pelagics, such as tunas, trevallies, black and white tip sharks and even sometimes eagle and manta rays. In the shallows, colorful coral gardens are teeming with life: multicolored reef fishes, leaf scorpion-fishes, blue-spotted stingrays, nudibranchs etc… Not to mention the few muck dives, which are truly exceptional and can rival those of Lembeh, with many rare and odd species, including all sorts of shrimps, frog-fishes, ghost pipe-fishes, cuttle-fishes, octopus etc…

If you are very lucky while on your dive boat, you might even spot whales and dolphins which occasionally patrol the area.

For detailed information about what we have seen while diving Amed and Tulamben, you can review our logbook.

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Please note that, although our partners are all professional dive centers with strong commitments to dive safety and all affiliated to international diving organizations, some of their dive guides are not certified divemasters. Most of them are PADI Rescue Divers (or equivalent) with thousands of dives in Bali. This is due to two main reasons:

• the cost of a Divemaster certification compared to local salaries and standard of living,
• dive guides’ English is good to interact with guests, but not sufficient to fully understand instruction manuals, which are currently not printed in Indonesian

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• rental equipment: Aqualung regulators, Seaquest BCDs, and Nemo wetsuits
• 12 liter aluminum tanks (international cylinder valves – a couple of adaptors are available, however, it is very much appreciated if you can bring your own), tanks, weights and weight belts are provided
• Night dives possible every night, torches can be rented
• Nitrox (EAN 31) available and FREE!

• logbook - dive certification card
• medical clearance for scuba diving from a physician, issued within the last 12 months
• evidence of repatriation insurance

Recommended diving equipment and documents: 3 or 5mm wetsuits and torch, dive computer, safety sausage, magnifying glass, insurance covering dive-related injuries (DAN or equivalent)

The closest hyperbaric chamber is located in Denpasar, all dives are within no-decompression limits.

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In addition to your documents related to your repatriation insurance (and for divers: your logbook, dive certification card and a medical clearance for scuba diving), you will need:

• your passport, which must be valid for a minimum of six months beyond intended date of entry into Indonesia
• a visa, which for nationals of most countries can be purchased on arrival. Please make sure you have one entire blank page for the placement of your visa (we made the mistake and paid the price...).

At the time of research (you may double-check with your local Indonesian Embassy for updates to the visa policy):

• nationals of the following 11 countries and territories were eligible for a "Visa Free" facility for a visit of up to 30 days: Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Morocco, Chile and Peru.
• nationals of the following countries and territories could obtain a “Visa On Arrival” processed at the gate of entry following the payment of a USD 25 (for a 30 day visa): Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherland, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Panama, People's Republic of China, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Surinam, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Citizens of countries not included on the visa-free or visa-on-arrival lists must apply for a visa overseas before arriving in Indonesia.

The visa on arrival facility will only be available at the following international airports: Medan, Pekanbaru, Padang, Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), Halim Perdana Kusuma (Jakarta), Surabaya, Denpasar (Bali), Manado, Yogyakarta, Solo, Mataram (Lombok), Balikpapan, Makassar, Kupang.

We also recommend you bring with you:

• sun cream
• mosquito repellent
• adaptor-plugs
• batteries 

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Bali is not a malaria-endemic area. The only vaccine required by international regulations is yellow fever. Proof of vaccination will only be required if you have visited a country in the yellow-fever zone within the six days prior to entering Southeast Asia. Travelers to Southeast Asia should be up to date with vaccinations against polio, tetanus and diphtheria. You may also consider a hepatitis A shot.

Full medical insurance, including medical evacuation outside of your country of residence, is mandatory. We also recommend scuba divers to ensure their personal insurance covers dive related injuries. Should you consider becoming a member of DAN Asia-Pacific, please click here

Bali is generally considered a safe destination. However, there has in recent years been an increase of petty crimes, like pick-pocketing, etc... Therefore, the general rule of not showing off your wealth is advisable and usual travel precautions apply, such as restraining your urge to go wandering around seedy areas alone late at night and not leaving valuables or important documents unattended.

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