Bali - The Liberty Wreck, updated pages & close encounter with George the barracuda

[Guy Manners]

The reason there isn't much damage is... because it's a very young reef. It's grown up with a constant flow of tourists. It was only when Agung's lava flow pushed it down to where it is now (as a rough description, I'm sure someone will elucidate!) that the coral started growing there, in 1963 . Coral takes along time to start; the volume of divers has been pretty high for around 20 years; so actually this reef has grown up, with constant "trampling". Why do you think Marvin* (the barracuda) is so tame? He's grown up with the tourists, too.
Just imagine how it would look if there hadn't been anyone.........
* every dive-guide has their own name for him. I don't think he knows or cares......

 

[Guy Manners]

ps I saw Marvin/Barry/conrad/methusula half asleep once, just by one of the holes in the bow ; someone spooked some bump-head parrotfish that were inside, and one came shooting out of the hole and smacked straight into marvin. His immediate reaction was neither aggressive nor frightened, he just righted himself, and looked a but peed off!

 

[Guy Manners]

pps the newest resort (apart from the one where I'm opening a new dive centre up the coast, hehe) is already 3 or 4 years old. The one almost on the wreck (Tauch Terminal) is already older, it just got bigger.
The difference in fish in the bay.... well, everything changes. In the north, in the last year, we have less schooling fish too - (maybe it's the Spanish trawlers that take a hundred tons of fish out with every pass.) But we now have many more whales, mantas and mola molas, that weren't here before....... The seas change, as does the jungle - with or without our "help". I'm a hard-ass when it comes to marine conservation, and some of my beliefs are definitely non-commercially oriented - like, not allowing DSD or even beginners onto certain sites and certainly never near a wreck, or in a marine park.
However, you can't blame everything on divers - and (in my humble opinion as Dive-centre manager) I've definitely seen more damage by photographers than by beginners.
maybe I'll start a thread......

 

[Guy Manners]

pps about the changes at the Liberty....the newest resort (apart from the one where I'm opening a new dive centre up the coast, hehe) is already 3 or 4 years old. The one almost on the wreck (Tauch Terminal) is already older, it just got bigger.
The difference in fish in the bay.... well, everything changes. In the north, in the last year, we have less schooling fish too - (maybe it's the Spanish trawlers that take a hundred tons of fish out with every pass.) But we now have many more whales, mantas and mola molas, that weren't here before....... The seas change, as does the jungle - with or without our "help". I'm a hard-ass when it comes to marine conservation, and some of my beliefs are definitely non-commercially oriented - like, not allowing DSD or even beginners onto certain sites and certainly never near a wreck, or in a marine park.
However, you can't blame everything on divers - and (in my humble opinion as Dive-centre manager) I've definitely seen more damage by photographers than by beginners.
maybe I'll start a thread......

 

[divetulamben]

Hi,

our guests call the barracuda: "Hugo"....

and there is a new video from Tulamben. The Indonesian TV made a small movie from Matahari Tulamben Resort and diving the USAT Liberty Wreck with the bumpheads. May be you will have a look and follow the link:

Liputan6.tv :: Wisata Tulamben yang Menantang ::

You can also get the movie in facebook from Matahari Tulamben Resort.

Suci

 

[chinacat46]

I met George back in 2005 good to know he is still alive and well.

 

[Wisnu]

did 3 early morning dives at the wreck last week, seem too early for barry or george to welcome us;
love to swim around with 30 - 40 huge bumphead, move like panzer fleet.
surprisingly, we're not the first in the water; more than a dozen diver already in the water at 06:00 am.

 

[xariatay]

We were pretty disappointed that the big barracuda wasn't there during our trip: 15-18 May & the guides said they hadn't seen him for awhile... The school of jacks seemed bigger this time & there was a giant trevally on 1 of the dives. Yes, it got really busy but it is still 1 of my fav places to dive, compared to a lot of other places, there was still a lot of fish around the wreck - sweetlips etc... Anyway, I think there are a lot more tourists in Bali now, which is a good sign...

 

[Guy Manners]

Hmmm.... more tourists, a good sign? For who?

 

[xariatay]

Hmmm.... more tourists, a good sign? For who?

Depends on who you ask... I was talking to someone yesterday who blamed the demise of sharks to the growing numbers of divers & this person has/had a vested interest in the seafood trade... I think more tourists is good for the people who depend on the tourism dollars. Would there be less fishermen, if there were less divers/ tourists? A good friend who is a veteran in the dive industry was very impressed by the amount of good-sized fish at Nusa Penida, although there were lots of boats & lots of divers. I would rather think that divers could be the solution to the problem, maybe it is a naive thought But I am not going to be hanging up my fins (note that I am only a recreation diver), how about you? Sorry, think I am getting a little OT here...