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

[donsilcock]

I managed to get a few dives on the Liberty Wreck at Tulamben in Bali when I was there in January and was surprised at just how healthy the marine life on the wreck is despite the very large number of divers who visit it. There is a new resort right by the wreck and two more at Kubu just west of Tulamben, plus the seemingly endless number of divers who come up daily from the south to dive the Liberty.

The resorts at Kubo appear to cater for mainly Europeans and seem to be based on using a large bus to get the divers to Tulamben, but were empty when I was there in the middle of January, but had apparently been full over Xmas and New Year.

Quite what this means overall for the wreck going forward seems to be anybody's guess, but it is hard to see it as sustainable...

I have updated the pages on my site for both the Liberty Wreck and Tulamben Bay as a result of the trip.

I also had a very close encounter with George, the resident large barracuda who is often seen in and around the stern of the wreck - he was out in the open sandy area just east of the stern when I dropped in and allowed me to get close enough to nearly fill the frame of my fish-eye lens.

He's a pretty cool dude!

Don

 

[Wisnu]

Thanks for the update of Tulamben, my favourite dive site.
miss George the cuda, hope to see him again end of this month. Not sure how old is he now? I guess more than 10 years old, our first time encounter was at 2003
minor correction - kubu, not kubo.

 

[donsilcock]

Yep, it's a great site - amazing really given the sheer volume of divers who visit it! Thanks for spotting the typo - I just corrected it.

Don

 

[Quero]

I just booked all my arrangements for my next trip to Tulamben. It's been too long (several years already!). I can hardly wait! I'll be staying at Paradise Palm Beach from August 1 to 7, if anybody's going to be around at that time! (Especially any photogs, like Don!)

 

[jake11]

On one or our Liberty dives our friend was just lazing along and didn't see George until she was almost face to face with him.
Her reaction was one of our funniest underwater moments ever. We have had a few of our best dives ever on that wreck!! Fun stuff!

 

[Bali Diver]

Tulamben bay is a wonderful place with so much to find at various spots.Indeed the wreck is great but it has suffered a great deal and for how much longer is a good question.

I have noticed more and more over the last few years less and less fish on the wreck and coral damaged as more and more divers are visiting.The jacks behaviour around the wreck and bay has changed a lot also and witnessed a lot of touching and holding onto coral and damaged by fins.Also lot more rubbish and at high tide been taking in by the waves.

Tulamben bay is still great and i still find so much there and things i have not seen before still appearing.But it not as great as it use to be and as donsilcock said and how lot of us(locals included) wonder how long the wreck and bay can survive the mass of divers and something has to be done and urgently as it's getting too late already

 

[iamafish]

I was just diving on Liberty for around 12 dives; and it was just fine, teeming with life and full of healthy coral.

 

[BLUESEASONBALI]

I thought the Barracuda was named Barry or Bernie! Oh well i guess the name doesn't matter, he really is extremely used to the divers approaching him which give you fantastic opportunities to take photos like the one on the top of this thread by Don. The wreck is still teaming with life, covered bow to stern with coral life, however if you do dive around the bow (northern end) of the wreck which is a little deeper and out of the limits of the DSD and Open water divers that the color and coral life far exceeds that in the other areas of the wreck - i have always believed this is due to to poor buoyancy and finning by the novice divers.

 

[divewench1]

I thought the Barracuda was named Barry or Bernie!

We call him Bryan!

 

[donsilcock]

This was my concern also - how many divers are sustainable on the Liberty?

I first dived the wreck back in 1999 and have images of it (albeit, not very good ones...) going back over 10 years and while there is no doubt there has been damage, compared to the sheer number of divers who visit it - many of whom lack proper diving & buoyancy skills - its condition is quite remarkable.

I put this down to the sheer fecundity of the Indonesian Throughflow which washes through Tulamben Bay, but there has to be a cut-off point somewhere...

The number of new resorts that are being built, right on the beach by the wreck and along the coast at Kubu, together with the existing resorts in Tulamben itself and all the day divers coming up from down south has to be pushing that limit.

Given the unregulated nature of diving in Bali, I guess only time will tell...

Don