Drop-off
8.2788°S 115.5956°E · wall
Tulamben’s dramatic volcanic wall — a shore-entry wall dive formed by a historic Mount Agung lava flow, right next to the famous USAT Liberty wreck.
Overview
The Tulamben Drop-off, also known as the Tulamben Wall, is a vertical wall formed by solidified lava from Mount Agung’s eruptions. The wall begins just meters from shore, with the top at 3-5 meters dropping steeply to over 60 meters. Shore entry across a pebble beach leads to a short surface swim before the wall begins. A shallow “aquarium section” at 5 meters teems with reef fish, making the site accessible to beginners at shallow depths while offering deeper exploration for experienced divers. The wall is heavily encrusted with sponges, gorgonian fans, black coral bushes, and crinoids.
Site Information
- Location: Tulamben, east Bali (adjacent to USAT Liberty wreck)
- Entry Type: Shore entry
- Site Type: Wall dive
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Maximum Depth: 30 meters
- Typical Visibility: 15-30 m
- Current: Generally mild
- Best Time: Year-round; best visibility April to November
Marine Life
The wall supports prolific macro life including frogfish, ghost pipefish, leaf scorpionfish, nudibranchs, octopus, and cuttlefish. Larger species include white-tip reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, and large moray eels. Clown triggerfish and schools of fusiliers are common along the wall face. The sandy slope before the wall is an excellent macro photography area. Occasional mola mola and pelagics pass in the blue water beyond the wall.
Dive Profile
Enter from the pebble beach and swim a short distance to the wall edge. The shallow aquarium section at 3-5 meters is ideal for a warmup. Drop along the wall to your desired depth — the wall is productive at all levels from 5-30 meters. The sandy slope at the base of the wall transitions into deeper territory. Return along the wall at a shallower depth for your safety stop before swimming back to shore.
Tips and Recommendations
- Easily combined with a dive on the adjacent USAT Liberty wreck
- The sandy slope before the wall is excellent for macro photography — look for frogfish and ghost pipefish
- Early morning dives offer the best lighting on the wall face
- Night dives on the Drop-off are popular for hunting flashlight fish and Spanish dancers
Safety Considerations
The shallow wall top makes this site very accessible for beginners, but depth increases rapidly. Watch your depth gauge carefully along the wall. Shore entry over loose pebbles can be slippery — water shoes or booties recommended.
Sources: Aquamarine Diving - Tulamben Drop Off, Ecodive Bali - Tulamben Wall, Let’s Dive Tulamben - Drop Off. Last updated 2026-07-17.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
4131 verified species observations (239 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1987 and 2025, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Scolecenchelys macroptera · Narrow Worm Eel
- Pteropsaron
- Abantennarius coccineus
- Callionymidae · Dragonets
- Trimma unisquame · Blackmargin Pygmy Goby
- Trimma stobbsi
- Plectranthias longimanus · Longfin Perchlet
- Scolopsis affinis
- Pleurosicya micheli
- Gymnothorax pseudoherrei · False Brown Moray
- Trimma okinawae · Orange Spot Goby
- Eviota shimadai
Scientific survey records skew toward sampled taxa (molluscs, corals) and do not reflect what you are guaranteed to see on a dive.
Source: OBIS (obis.org), aggregated Darwin Core occurrence records.
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