Dear DiveHeads —
This email is going out only to those folks who are scuba divers. The CBS (Carlyle Broadcasting System) will be transmitting dive photos broadly tomorrow as part of a short travelogue. You are getting a sneak preview with more specifics.
I went diving yesterday off the NE shore of Bali in a popular dive spot, Tulamben. This town of Tulamben is a 2 1/2 hour drive from where I live in the south central tip of the island. We had to drive through jungle-like, mountainous terrain at times — NICE!. There was one other diver besides myself and of course, the dive master; three of us total. Before covid, this site was popular with dive tourists. There was only two other divers at this site yesterday.
Among other options, Tulamben was chosen by the dive master as there is a hotel pool right next to the entry point on the beach. In the pool, I was given a refresher session before jumping into the ocean. I needed the review as I have not gone diving in a decade.
We had two shore dives. The big attraction at Tulamben is a 120 foot long shipwreck that was torpedoed by the Japanese in WWII. The USS Liberty was an American steamship built in 1915 and outfitted with two large guns during WWII. When it sank, the USS Liberty landed upright in shallow water. However, during a powerful earthquake from nearby Mt. Agung in ‘63, the ship tilted to one side. The high point of the ship — the tip of the side sticking up — was only 20 feet under water. We had easy access to the whole ship including interesting, safe interior portions. The USS Liberty is becoming a coral reef. The turtle below was sticking out of the ship’s side. It was a GREAT dive but not the Number 1, record setting experience I thought might happen given the reputation of diving the Indo Pacific (think Fiji, Truk, the Philippines, etc.) I look forward to going back to Tulamben — soon! However, the best dive sites in Bali area are on neighboring islands very close to Bali. I will dive them also as I now have my sea legs back.
I went diving Saturday at a popular dive spot, Tulamben, a 2 1/2 hour drive from where I live. We had to drive through jungle-like, mountainous terrain at times — NICE!. I went through the excellent Intrinity Divers shop. We had one other diver, Paul, and Amin the dive master. Donna, Paul’s Domestic Life Partner, snorkeled this site.
Here we are topside – Amin the Thumbs Up Dive Master With Donna and Paul
- The dive master took all the photos:
The USS Liberty Becoming Slowly Coralfied (is that a word?)
,Transparent Pipe Fish – Maybe six inches long, or less
A Study in Contrasts — who wears the Hawksbill Turtle better?
Option A — Me?
Option B — Or Just the USS Liberty?
The winner is obvious: The USS LIberty. I had nothing to the beauty of this scene.
Here I Am Racing a Puffer Fish (Seriously). The Fish is Winning.
Nudibranch (Sea Slug) Perhaps 5” Long
Paul Enjoying the Scenery Swimming By
Shot of Paul Taken from the Interior of the USS Liberty
Enjoy,
Zephyr of Canggu
(Following the Bali tradition, I no longer have a last name, just a location)
Bonus Photo: On the drive to the dive site, we passed Mt. Agung, the tallest point in Bali. All Hell breaks loose on occasion from Mt. Agung, including in recent years.