Drop-Off (Tulamben Wall) · Tulamben

The story

Where the volcano met the sea.

Two hundred metres south of the Liberty wreck the bay floor falls away. This is the Tulamben Wall — and unlike the Liberty, which you can swim around in 25 minutes, the Wall doesn't end. It starts at 3 metres on the reef edge and drops vertically past 60 metres into the blue.

The wall is a direct legacy of the 1963 Mount Agung eruption. Lava flows that shifted the Liberty off the beach also built this dramatic vertical face. It's been colonising for 60 years: hard coral mats, sea fans at 20–30 m, sponges, and at depth — black coral and gorgonians. The water is colder here than over the wreck. Visibility is usually a notch better.

"Look down and there's only blue. The wall keeps going beyond what divers can reach."

Drop-Off is the dive where Tulamben stops being a sandy bay and becomes Indonesian wall diving. Anthias clouds explode off the wall. Schooling jacks circle. In mola season (Aug–Oct), divers occasionally watch a sunfish drift up from the deep blue. Plan it as your second morning dive after Coral Garden, or as a sunrise dive before crowds arrive at Liberty.

Topography

How the dive unfolds.

Bali's signature volcanic wall. Walk in over the beach, swim 50 m, drop on a shallow plateau at 6 m, then over the edge of a near-vertical cliff that plummets past 60 m — formed when Mt. Agung blew a chunk of coastline into the sea in 1963. Recreational divers hold at 30 m. Tech divers turn at 60 m.

Plan a 35–45 min wall dive: walk in, swim out, drop on the plateau at 6 m, descend along the wall to your training limit (30 m for AOWD, 18 m for OW), return along the wall top, slow ascent. Nitrox 32% strongly recommended. Mind your gauges — the wall pulls you deeper than you realise.

Marine life · what you might see

The ocean's not a zoo.

Sightings are pure chance — current, season, time of day, and luck. Below is what divers spot at this site, but no operator can guarantee any specific encounter on any specific dive.

Resident Anthias clouds 95%

Resident Pyramid butterflyfish 90%

Resident Schooling jacks 70%

Resident Bannerfish · Moorish idols 90%

Visitor Napoleon wrasse 45%

Visitor Mola mola (Aug–Oct) 8%

Visitor Tuna · Wahoo 25%

Visitor Whitetip sharks 20%

Visitor Sea turtles 50%

Resident Moray eels 80%

Resident Scorpionfish 75%

Resident Nudibranchs 75%

Resident Gorgonian sea fans 100%

Resident Black coral (deep) 90%

Resident Soft corals 100%

Resident Sponges 100%

Always-presentThe wall itself, the anthias clouds, gorgonians, butterflyfish, soft corals.

Sometimes-presentSchooling jacks, Napoleon wrasse, sea turtles. Pelagics in the blue. And — once a season, with luck — mola mola from the deep.

Practical

What you need.

01 · Cert

Certification

Open Water minimum (the top of the wall is OW-friendly at 5–18 m). AOWD strongly recommended to enjoy the gorgonian zone at 25–30 m.

02 · Entry

Entry · Distance

Beach entry. ~200 m walk south of the Liberty entry point, then fin out 30 m to the reef edge and drop over.

03 · Flow

Currents

Usually mild but unpredictable. The wall sometimes carries a gentle drift — let it work for you. Bigger pelagic action happens when the current picks up.

04 · When

Best time of day

Sunrise dive (06:00–07:00) — empty wall, anthias mid-feed, best chance of pelagic encounters before the wind picks up.

05 · Fees

Site fee

Local Tulamben village fee ~30,000 IDR (€2) per diver per day — included in your PMD safari price.

06 · Schedule

Surface intervals

Walk back to the resort between dives. Two-tank trip: Drop-Off at sunrise, Liberty mid-morning. Or pair with Coral Garden for a long shallow second dive.

Ready?

Dive Drop-Off (Tulamben Wall)
on a Tulamben safari.

All-inclusive: flights, transfers, villa, dives, food, marine fees. Two-tank Tulamben day with this site as part of the rotation.

Plan Your Trip ← All Tulamben sites