Diving in Tulamben

[Zsuzsika]

We are heading to Tulamben in October 2017 - Matahari is the name of the little resort we just booked. We got a great deal on dive resort accommodations as well as airfare. But we don't know much about diving here; I am starting my research to learn more. My husband and I are experienced divers and have been going to the Philippines every year. A few years ago, we spent a week diving in Nusa Lembongan, so we sort of have an idea on what to expect. I sent off an email to the dive operator for more detailed info. But I have a few questions. Thanks in advance!

1. In Tulamben, can I expect boat dives mostly?

2. From the dive operators website, it appears there is shore diving too. Is this correct?

3. Any special recommendations, or "not to be missed" dive sites? I know about a nearby wreck, which is supposed to be excellent at night.

4. Any other comments?

Thanks.


Suzi

 

[KenGordon]

We mostly did shore dives there. The boat dives were to reach sites further away that could have been dived from the shore mostly.

The wreck is called the Liberty. It is excellent. It runs from about 2m depth to 30ish so you can do your stops on the wreck. There is a lot of life on it but it does get busy with divers.

Where we stayed we could dive off the beach whenever we fancied. We also had a guid to ourselves and a boat more or less on call.

 

[boulderjohn]

I went through a week of diving in Tulamben this fall, with a different operation. There were both shore dives and boat dives. The shore dives were mostly muck diving. I am not personally a big fan of muck diving, but others love it. I think it comes down to cameras--if you are really into macro photography, muck diving is great. If not, you might not like it as much as reef diving.

The Liberty is a fun wreck to visit, but it is very shallow and close to shore. As a result, you might find yourself part of a huge mass of divers. I did it twice, and our operator took a boat and made sure we dived it when we had it mostly to ourselves.

There are some very good coral reefs, and the travel agent who set up our trip knew the area and specified some of them in our package. Thank goodness, because they would not have gone to some of them otherwise. The best of these was Gili Serang, a tiny island with a gorgeous coral reef. The dive crew on our boat said that they were very happy our agent had specified that trip because they loved it but rarely went there. Why? Because it is so very, very, very far away. The boat ride took a full 25 minutes! Whew! I told them that where I dive in Florida, the boat ride is 20 minutes just to get to the inlet and out into the ocean, and they were flabbergasted. As you can guess, all the boat diving sites that were not specified by our agent were within about 5 minutes of our base.

There is not nearly as much garbage in the water as in Nusa Lembongan, but there is some. On most boat trips we had to restart the motor occasionally when the propeller would be stopped by floating debris.

 

[jcclink]

Near Tulamben are the areas of Seraya & Amed. Beach diving unless your dive operation can schedule a local boat (usually outrigger canoe). These areas are mostly muck diving with a few wreck/reef areas. In Oct Seraya was the best place for critters. Animals seem to come & go, depending on water temp & infrequent storm activity. I've always had good weather in Indonesia during Oct/Nov. Between Tulamben & Kuta is Padang Bai. Good jetty dive around the point in the next bay. Usually good activity there. This does require a boat. Best time to dive the Liberty wreck is early in the morning. It can become very crowded by 9am.

Can you recommend dive resorts in Anilao & Dumaguete/Dauin?

 

[helarno]

Dived with them twice in 2015. If they haven't changed much, then most of their daily diving would be shore dives. 4 daytime dives and 1 night dive rotating between 3 different locations. USAT Liberty is a short walk 200-300 meters to the west. Coral garden is straight out from their dive site into the sea. Drop Off is a wall dive 100-200 meters walk to the east. They have a board where you sign up for which dive you want to go for.

They will occasionally post a trip to somewhere else nearby (Seraya, Amed, etc) where you have to pay a bit extra for transportation. You can also request this yourself, once you start getting tired of the 3 shore dives. Seraya is also shore dives but Amed seems to be mostly boat dives for some reason.

Notable spots in the area is the Liberty wreck and Seraya. As mentioned by others, Seraya is great for muck diving and photographing little critters. Not so much for the big stuff. There are also one or two more wrecks in the area, best to check with the operation.

The beach is mostly black volcanic rock, not sand. When the surf is strong, getting in and out can be quite a challenge for those inexperienced in shore entries/exits.

The English level of the staff is enough for basic communication, but not for advanced matters. Matahari is locally owned by one lady and the front office staff is mostly staffed by her kids. They have better English than the rest, so in case of trouble, try the front desk staff.

Local wifi is unreliable. They have 4 wifi hotspots but only 2 worked while I was there and once a lot of people started connecting, you would be unable to connect. As a backup, I would buy a 4G SIM card and rely on that for data while in Matahari.

The Spa is one of the better ones in the area and usually needs advanced reservation. Lots of drop ins from the other resorts in the area.

Everything in the area is closed after 8pm, so if you are arriving late, make sure you pick up food, water and snacks elsewhere before arriving at the location. There are other resorts and restaurants in walking distance, but most close by 8pm too.

Matahari is one of the more reasonably priced resorts in the area and I would return the next time I am in Tulamben. Just remember to start asking for trips to other locations once you get bored with their shore diving. The prices are reasonable there, unlike some other resorts in the area that really rip you off.

 

[Peter69_56]

I went through a week of diving in Tulamben this fall, with a different operation. There were both shore dives and boat dives. The shore dives were mostly muck diving. I am not personally a big fan of muck diving, but others love it. I think it comes down to cameras--if you are really into macro photography, muck diving is great. If not, you might not like it as much as reef diving.

The Liberty is a fun wreck to visit, but it is very shallow and close to shore. As a result, you might find yourself part of a huge mass of divers. I did it twice, and our operator took a boat and made sure we dived it when we had it mostly to ourselves.

There are some very good coral reefs, and the travel agent who set up our trip knew the area and specified some of them in our package. Thank goodness, because they would not have gone to some of them otherwise. The best of these was Gili Serang, a tiny island with a gorgeous coral reef. The dive crew on our boat said that they were very happy our agent had specified that trip because they loved it but rarely went there. Why? Because it is so very, very, very far away. The boat ride took a full 25 minutes! Whew! I told them that where I dive in Florida, the boat ride is 20 minutes just to get to the inlet and out into the ocean, and they were flabbergasted. As you can guess, all the boat diving sites that were not specified by our agent were within about 5 minutes of our base.

There is not nearly as much garbage in the water as in Nusa Lembongan, but there is some. On most boat trips we had to restart the motor occasionally when the propeller would be stopped by floating debris.

The Liberty is a bit over rated as a wreck, however the fish life is great.

There is another wreck nearby which is a smallish transport which was sunk for diving. Its to the west of the Liberty and accessible from shore from the same area as Liberty.

if you like deeper reefs there is a wall dive to the East of Liberty, maybe 600m which you can also dive from shore.

All dives in this area are really shore dives. The local vendors will harass you but thats just par for the course.

 

[charlier]

... The best of these was Gili Serang, a tiny island with a gorgeous coral reef. The dive crew on our boat said that they were very happy our agent had specified that trip because they loved it but rarely went there. Why? Because it is so very, very, very far away. The boat ride took a full 25 minutes!...

John, it might be a typo, but are you referring to Gili Selang? This is a site we have developed for our paleoclimate/ocean chemistry studies. This site sometimes has truly ripping currents, on par with Alor. Farther west or closer to Padang Bai, did you visit G. Biaha?

 

[boulderjohn]

John, it might be a typo, but are you referring to Gili Selang? This is a site we have developed for our paleoclimate/ocean chemistry studies. This site sometimes has truly ripping currents, on par with Alor. Farther west or closer to Padang Bai, did you visit G. Biaha?

It was a typo. I did mean Gili Selang.

 

[Luko]

We are heading to Tulamben in October 2017 - Matahari is the name of the little resort we just booked. ...

1. In Tulamben, can I expect boat dives mostly?

2. From the dive operators website, it appears there is shore diving too. Is this correct?

3. Any special recommendations, or "not to be missed" dive sites? I know about a nearby wreck, which is supposed to be excellent at night.

4. Any other comments?

1-2- Tulamben from Matahari will be shore dives mostly, only a few resorts provide boatdives. When diving the westen sites out of Tulamben bay, like Emerald, Palung Palung, etc. You will take a local jukung, (ie small bangka) tyicallly you will have to back roll from the boat and don your equipment at surface.
I am not sure Matahari covers Amed/Gili Selang though.

3- if macro is your stuff, do not miss Sidem, the special in Tulamben area for Rhinopias spotting. Clearly the sites out of Tulamben bay such as Seraya, Melasti, Sidem, etc. are the best currently.
4- Yansu Suartana is probably one of the best dive guides in the area, he's working for Matahari, try to get him as your own guide.
Also night dives are probably the best dives you can get in Tulamben, plan as many as you can.