The small villages of Tulamben and Amed provide some of the best scuba diving in Bali. Divers of all experience levels, from open water to dive master, will all enjoy the stunning visibility and calm waters off the coast of Amed and Tulamben. The dive sites here are home to a mind-blowing variety of tiny invertebrates, as well as larger pelagic species. In addition to the vast array of marine fauna, Tulamben and Amed are home to two sizable shipwrecks.

Whether you are a macro-photography enthusiast, a wreck explorer or just a beginning diver looking for calm water and a place to experience a beautiful underwater world for the first time, this stretch of the North-East coast of Bali has something for everyone.

Coral Garden Tulamben Bali

About Amed Bali

Up until pretty recently, Amed was a small farming and fishing community on the Northeast shore of the Island of Bali. Situated at the foot of Mt. Agung about a three-hour drive from the Bali airport, Amed is characterized by its lush green rice terraces and rocky black sand beaches.

Mt Agung

The first time I visited Amed was in the summer of 1999, while I was in college. At that time, only a few shops lined the dusty road through town, and you were more likely to see cows than people on a typical day in Amed. Almost 20 years later, it is clear that Amed is growing up fast.

Preying Mantis

Today the road through town is lined with hotels, cafes, yoga studios, and dive shops. Foreign investors are moving in quickly, buying up plots of land to open up shop, selling everything from spiritual retreats to vegan pizzas in this tiny stretch of paradise.

Black Sand Beach Amed, Bali

Despite this, Amed maintains a laid-back, local vibe. You will encounter farmers tending their rice in the terraced paddies, village kids racing each other on BMX bikes, and the smell of babi guling (suckling pig) roasting on open spits along the road; all set to a soundtrack of buzzing motorbikes, and the ethereal tones of the Balinese gamelan orchestras as you pass one of Amed's many Hindu temples.

Dive Boat Amed Bali

Scuba Diving in Amed and Tulamben

I came to Amed in 2018 to scuba dive, and the black volcanic shores just behind the restaurants and yoga studios did not disappoint. I have spent the past three years diving all around Southeast Asia, and I can tell you that the waters off the Eastern coast of Bali are about as good as it gets.

The Smallest Lionfish ever

Suba diving in and around Amed has it all, shipwrecks, schools of trevallies and bump-head parrotfish, some of the most diverse macro critters that I have seen in Asia, and even giant mola mola (sunfish) when the colder currents come up from the South in July thru November.

Butterflyfish Amed Bali

USAT Liberty Shipwreck

Just a fifteen-minute drive north of Amed lies Tulamben and the wreck of the USAT Liberty. Originally built in 1918, the Liberty served the United States in both WWI and again in WWII.

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a crab

After being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942, it was hauled onto the beach in Tulamben awaiting salvage. It sat on the beach until 1963 when earthquakes caused by an eruption of Mt. Agung pushed the Liberty into its current resting place just offshore.

Leaf Scorpionfish

With the stern resting at around 30-meters and the bow practically on the beach, the Liberty is a divers dream come true.

Blue Spotted Stingray Bali

Coral Gardens Amed and Tulamben

Amed and Tulamben are also home to some of the best artificial reefs I have ever seen. While I support the idea of building artificial reefs to repopulate the diminishing coral populations, rarely have I enjoyed diving in them. They typically consist of a bunch of cement and other "junk" piled together and are about as exciting as diving in an abandoned parking garage. The reefs in Amed and Tulamben are exceptional.