USAT Liberty Wreck, Tulamben: A Diving and Snorkeling Guide

Yes, especially for divers. It is a real war wreck reachable from the beach, with no boat, little current and coral and fish over the whole hull, and new divers can see much of it within 12 to 18 m. It makes less sense as a rushed day trip from Seminyak or Canggu, with six hours in a car and a crowded midday swim.

Yes. The shallowest part of the wreck lies about 3 to 5 m down and about 25 to 40 m from the beach, so on a calm, clear morning snorkelers see the hull, the coral and the fish from the surface. You need to be a confident swimmer, because the entry is over stones with waves breaking on them. Bring fins and go with a buddy.

From about 3 to 5 m at its shallowest point to about 30 m at its deepest, depending on the tide and where you measure. Most of the hull lies between about 5 and 30 m on a sloping sand bottom, so one dive can cover most of it. Divers certified to 18 m see a lot; the deeper section needs advanced certification.

No. Beginners can join a try dive with an instructor, which goes no deeper than 12 m under PADI rules and still reaches the shallow part of the wreck. Open Water divers can go to 18 m, and Advanced divers to 30 m, the bottom of the wreck. Entering the hull needs wreck training.

A Japanese submarine torpedoed it on 11 January 1942, about 10 nautical miles southwest of the Lombok Strait. Two destroyers towed it toward Singaraja, but it was flooding too fast, so it was beached at Tulamben to save the cargo. In 1963, tremors from Mount Agung’s eruption slid the hull off the beach into the sea.

No. It is a common mix-up. The Liberty was built in 1918 at Kearny, New Jersey, as a cargo ship for the US Shipping Board, two decades before the standard Liberty ships of World War II. The US Army took it over in 1940, which is where the USAT, for US Army Transport, comes from.

There is no entrance ticket to the beach or the wreck (checked Nov 2026). You pay for parking, porters and gear. Porters were paid IDR 10,000 a tank in 2021 and 2022; ask your dive center for the current rate. Two-dive day trips with transfers from south Bali cost about IDR 2 to 2.5 million per person (checked Nov 2026), and trips from Amed cost less.

Early morning, from first light around 6 AM, before the day-trip groups arrive from mid-morning. The water is calmer and you may see bumphead parrotfish. April to July and October to November usually bring the best visibility; rain from December to March can cloud the water. Diving continues all year.

Yes, but it is a long day. From Ubud the drive is 2 to 2.5 hours each way, from Seminyak or Canggu 3 to 3.5 hours, and day-trip tours usually pick up around 6 AM to 7 AM. Staying a night in Tulamben or Amed lets you dive at dawn and makes the trip far more relaxed.

Generally, yes: there is almost no current over the wreck and depths are moderate. The main risks are the entry, where waves break on slippery boulders, and diver error. An Australian diver died in December 2025 after panicking at about 15 m and surfacing fast. Dive with a licensed guide, stay within your training and stay out of the hull unless you have wreck training.

About 15 km, or 20 to 30 minutes by car or scooter, west to Culik and then north along the coast road. Most Amed dive shops include the Liberty in their programs and pick you up from your hotel. There is no Grab or Gojek here, so arrange transport the day before.