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Tulamben has become Bali's most famous diving area and therefore where you are most likely to meet internationally recognised underwater photographers and writers. Tulamben Bay, like the rest of Bali, is situated in the richest marine biogeographic zone in the world. Being on the north-east coast, the bay receives very plankton-rich waters from the major ocean current that moves from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. This, coupled with the fact that the three main dive sites provide totally different physical environments, mean that Tulamben contains a stunningly diverse underwater ecosystem. The beach is fist-sized black volcanic rocks that become sand in the shallows. This black sand does not provide the reflective properties of white limestone sand and, combined with the amount of plankton in the water, accounts for the relatively low visibility (12-25M). It does however provide a dramatic contrast, which brings out the colors of the corals, gorgonians, fish and other marinelife. The 100s of macro-species that live here both blend and contrast beautifully with the sand. Tulamben is a wonderful place to learn to dive and to learn about underwater life. There are occasional sightings of Mola-Mola (Sunfish), Manta Rays, Whale Shark, tuna and other pelagics but it is the permanent population of Tulamben that brings people here for the 1st and 100th time.
You can also snorkel on the wreck - the highest point of the stern is about 4m below the surface. Visibility is usually 18-25m, lower when it has been raining. There is rarely a current present, at most it will be mild. During the 3 days before the full moon, there are usually waves. The air temp is 25-32C, the water 26-28C. The wreck is very popular with photographers as it is totally encrusted in anemone, gorgonia and corals (the two pictures on the website are from Tulamben) The black sand provides an excellent color contrast for the incredible variety of marinelife, which includes a huge school (literally 100s) of 10-12inch silver fish called Big-Eyed Trevally and over 400 other species of fish. All the fish are very tame (partly as a result of some guides feeding them, a rather unenvironmentally-sound practice!) from the Goatfish and Wrasse that nibble around your feet and fins during entry/exit to the Unicornfish and Surgeonfish which make a (slightly alarming the first time you see them!) beeline for your mask as you swim down towards the Wreck. It is quite difficult to list what you will see because you'll see just about everything in any Indo-Pacific Reef Guide book if you dive here. From the minute Anglerfish, neon nudibranches, Ghost Pipefish, shrimp/goby sets, through to the areas of Garden Eels and multi-coloured clouds of anthias and damsels and on to the schools of Sweetlips, Batfish, fusiliers, Butterflyfish, the variety is amazing. Then there are the invertebrates, the hard and soft corals, black corals, sponges with crinoids, sea fans, tunicates. If you dive early ie: first divers on the wreck (only possible if you stay overnight) you may, may, see turtle. It's the best time of day to dive the wreck. Night diving on the wreck is great especially during the full moon. You may see Spanish Dancers, flashlight fish, phosphorescence. Where else in the world could you make such an easy - and varied - Night Dive. The Drop-off/WallThis site, an old lava flow from Mount Agung, is at the opposite end of the bay from the Wreck (about 15min walk along the stony beach). The dive starts off on a steep sand slope with nudibranches, flounders, goby/shrimp sets. At 12m are sponges with many varieties of shrimp, Leaf Scorpionfish abound and there are many crinoids, often with attendant Ghost Pipefish. Continuing round to the R, the slope develops into a reef with very impressive topography, becoming a vertical wall from 15M and descending to below 60m.Visibility - best in the morning - is usually 15-20M (due to the amount of plankton in the water) and, because of the location, it is rare that there is a current, even a mild one. The wall has profuse sponges, corals, black coral bushes, gorgonian fans - at 30M there's one that reaches 2M in width that we visit for the Deep Dive on Advanced Courses. The wall, the lava spur, then reverts to being a steep slope. The fish life is similar to that found on the wreck but being a much larger area, is less dense. However, more often than on the Wreck, you will see white tip reef shark, large Napoleon Wrasse, big Bumphead Parrotfish, some big Filefish (including Scrawled), and large Moray Eel. Late afternoon is the time to see the wide variety of Lionfish that live here. There have been sightings of Whale Shark in as little as 9M of water, and much deeper, Hammerhead Shark. The back reef at the top of the Wall, averaging 5M, contains an excellent 'aquarium section', including cuttlefish, octopus, boxer crabs and many other unexpected treasures, enabling you to finish your dive at around 5m for pretty much as long as you want to. This is, of course, also very popular with snorkellers.
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