When is the best time to dive Tulamben?

The best months to dive Tulamben are April, May, October, November, when conditions are most favorable.

What certification do I need to dive Tulamben?

Tulamben requires a minimum certification of Open Water. Currents are typically moderate and the maximum depth reaches 30 m.

How much does it cost to dive Tulamben?

A 2-tank dive at Tulamben averages around $70 USD. The destination is in our mid range tier.

What will I see diving Tulamben?

Tulamben is known for manta ray, mola mola, sunfish, with 9–30 m visibility and 24–29°C water temperatures.

Why does Tulamben score 62.7/100 on OkToDive?

Tulamben earns a 62.7/100 Score based on 12 weighted categories including marine life, coral health, visibility, operator quality, and value. Backed by 820 operator reviews.

Tulamben Diving — Score: 62.7/100 | Conditions, Operators & Guide

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World Class

Intermediate

Tulamben

IndonesiaAsia-Pacific

62.7

SCORE

-8.2789°N

115.5943°E

Tulamben's USAT Liberty — a WWII cargo ship torpedoed in 1942 — is one of the most accessible wreck dives on Earth. Sitting in 5–30m right off the black sand beach, it's encrusted in soft corals and swarming with bumphead parrotfish at dawn. The adjacent coral garden and drop-off are world-class muck sites.

Home of the Liberty Wreck

Visibility9–30 m

Temperature24–29°C

Max Depth30 m

Currentmoderate

2-Tank Dive$70

Best MonthsApril, May, October, November

CertificationOpen WaterIntermediate

Score Breakdown

Marine Life

40.0

Species diversity, megafauna encounters, reef fish abundance, macro life, and endemic species.

Species Diversity

Megafauna Encounters

Reef Fish Abundance

Macro Life

Endemic Species

Click any score to see a detailed breakdown

Marine Life Diversity

40.0

Coral & Reef Health

71.0

Visibility & Conditions

70.0

Dive Site Variety

70.0

Water Temperature

69.0

Depth & Access

56.0

Operator Quality

78.0

Topside Experience

64.0

Getting There

68.0

Value & Cost

60.0

Crowding

57.0

Social Proof

57.0

Key Species

manta raymola molasunfish

Dive Types

reefdriftmuckshorepelagic

Traveling with Non-Divers?

Your non-diving travel companions will find plenty to enjoy topside while you're underwater. Here are some activities to consider.

Activities for Non-Divers

snorkeling the Liberty WreckMount Agung trekkingTirta Gangga water palacefreedivinglocal warung dining

Nearby Cultural Sites

Tirta Gangga Royal Water Palace
Besakih Mother Temple

Non-Diver Partner Score

5/10

Limited topside — plan ahead for non-diving partners.

Family FriendlyYes

Restaurants & Nightlifebasic

Safety & Emergency

Dive Insurance

Dive insurance is essential. Standard travel insurance often excludes scuba diving. We recommend DAN (Divers Alert Network) for comprehensive dive accident coverage.

Learn More at DAN.org

Hyperbaric Chamber80 km — Sanglah Hospital Hyperbaric Unit, Denpasar

Nearest Hospital50 km

2-hour drive to Denpasar for chamber; basic clinic locally

Skill LevelIntermediate

Current Strengthmoderate

Top Operators

Tulamben Wreck Divers

PADI

4.8

350 reviewsNITROX

Liberty Dive Resort

PADI

4.7

290 reviewsNITROX

Dive Concepts Tulamben

SSI

4.6

180 reviewsNITROX

Compare This Dive Site

Honest reality checkDraft — diver review pending

What your dive shop won't tell you

The minimum certification printed on a brochure is the legal floor, not the honest recommendation. Here's what we actually think you should bring to this site.

Recommended logged dives

25+

Below this we'd send you somewhere easier first.

Recommended certification

Open Water

“USS Liberty is the best beginner-to-intermediate wreck dive on earth. Walk in from the beach, 5–30m, zero current. It's where I'd take someone doing their first real wreck dive.”

What will challenge you

→Moderate currents. Expect to drift — this is not a skill-builder site for a first trip after certification.

What will surprise you

→Thermoclines can drop water temp by 5°C between the surface and depth. Your wetsuit choice should match the minimum, not the average.
→Short dive season — only 4 months worth going (April, May, October, November). Book well ahead or miss it.
→5:30am arrival matters. By 9am there are 40 divers on the wreck. Empty at dawn, busy by mid-morning, bearable again at sunset.

Time of dayDraft — diver review pending

When to dive it

Every dive shop gives you this briefing at 7am. We just wrote it down.

Morning

Viz
peak
Current
slack
Crowd
empty

USS Liberty wreck
big schools of jacks
wide angle

USS Liberty is the most accessible WWII wreck on earth — you walk in from the beach. Dawn dive: schooling bigeye jacks fill the bow. Arrive at 5:30am or share it with 40 divers.

Afternoon

Viz
high
Current
slack
Crowd
busy

macro on the Coral Garden
wreck macro

The Liberty becomes a macro site in the afternoon. Every crack has a frogfish, ghost pipefish, or weirdness. Bring a macro lens.

Night

Viz
high
Current
slack
Crowd
empty

flashlight fish
Spanish dancer nudibranchs

Night dive on the Liberty is where it gets genuinely strange. Flashlight fish schools in the wreck holds, blue-ringed octopus on the sand flats — if you're fast enough.

Month-by-monthDraft — diver review pending

Dive forecast

Realistic conditions by month. Viz ranges are what you should actually expect, not best-case marketing numbers. Confidence % is the share of days that match this profile historically.

Month	Viz (m)	Temp (°C)	Current	Sea	Rain	Confidence	Highlights
Jan	10–20	28	Slack	Chop	Wet	65%	rainy season
Feb	10–20	28	Slack	Chop	Wet	65%	rainy
Mar	15–25	28	Slack	Calm	Light	75%	transition
Apr	20–30	28	Slack	Calm	Dry	85%	peak starting
May	20–30	27	Slack	Calm	Dry	88%	peak
Jun	20–30	26	Slack	Calm	Dry	90%	peak, bring a 5mm
Jul	20–30	26	Slack	Calm	Dry	90%	peak — coldest, best viz
Aug	20–30	26	Slack	Calm	Dry	90%	peak
Sep	20–30	27	Slack	Calm	Dry	88%	peak
Oct	15–25	28	Slack	Calm	Light	80%	shoulder
Nov	15–25	28	Slack	Chop	Wet	70%	rains starting
Dec	10–20	28	Slack	Chop	Wet	65%	rainy

Shoot here

Photography brief

Subjects are only half the shot. A perfect macro site is useless in a three-knot drift, and a wide-angle dream is useless at 35 m with a murky ceiling. These are the conditions, not the hype.

Macro subjects49

Wide angle69

Viz stability51

Hover friendliness55

Natural light60

Recommended kit

→General reef kit — mid-range wide or a 60mm macro depending on the specific site

Level up here

What this site will teach you

The dives that made you a better diver are the ones that made you uncomfortable for the right reasons. Here's what this site will quietly train you for.

Drift diving
intermediate
Reef hook discipline, current reading, group cohesion in flow. The skills you'll build here are what every current-dominant site demands — transferable everywhere.
Neutral buoyancy at 20 cm
foundational
Macro and delicate coral sites force you to hover still enough to frame a shot without kicking up silt or touching the reef. You'll finish the trip a measurably cleaner diver.
Low-viz navigation
intermediate
Compass bearings, natural navigation references, and trust in your plan when you can't see your fin tips. These are the skills that save dives elsewhere.

What it costsEstimates — calibration pending

7-day trip, per person

Rough ranges anchored to existing regional data — not booking quotes. Land-based trip, standard breakdown.

Budget

$2,000–$2,800

Hostels, shore diving, cheap eats

Flights (RT from US): $1,100–$1,300
Accommodation / day: $50–$100
Diving / day: $60–$70
Food / day: $10–$25
Transfers + misc: $50–$150

Mid-range

$3,150–$4,600

3-star hotels, standard boat ops, mix of restaurants

Flights (RT from US): $1,550–$1,850
Accommodation / day: $120–$220
Diving / day: $70–$90
Food / day: $30–$60
Transfers + misc: $50–$150

Splurge

$5,250–$8,200

Top resorts or liveaboards, premium operators

Flights (RT from US): $2,250–$2,750
Accommodation / day: $260–$500
Diving / day: $90–$120
Food / day: $70–$140
Transfers + misc: $50–$150

Flights priced round-trip from a major US hub. Figures are per person on a shared room. Solo travelers add ~30% to accommodation.

Pair withDraft — diver review pending

Build a trip around it

Most divers fly across the world for one destination and don't realise another worth-it site is 90 minutes away. Here are the honest pairings.

Best dive types here

Tulamben Diving — Indonesia