PADI course and USAT Liberty wreck
Learn to dive slowly, in warm calm water.
Learn to scuba dive in Amed, a quiet coast in northeast Bali, in a small group of four at most. A licensed local dive centre teaches your PADI course, and you dive the USAT Liberty wreck in Tulamben. Rocío plans the trip with you and stays your contact. Beginners are welcome. After, you can add three days in Ubud for temples and rice terraces.
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Rocío does not host a group here at the moment. She knows the place and the local team, so she matches you with the right people, and you book and pay them directly.
With Ocean Match, from CHF 19, Rocío reads your answers herself and sends you your match or a personal plan. If you later join a trip that Rocío hosts, the fee comes off that price.
Real guests on past trips“Joining Ocean Calling Retreats was honestly one of the most special travel experiences I’ve had. It’s so much more than just a trip — it’s a beautiful mix of adventure, connection, and time to truly reset.”
“Oh my, if I could give 6 or 7 stars, I would. She is very lovely, very easy to talk to, and she listens to you.”
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Not sure yet? Say hello to Rocío first. She answers personally and tells you honestly if this trip fits you.
Flexible payment plan The non-refundable deposit secures your place. The balance is due 60 days before departure. Where possible, you can pay it in monthly instalments, with the last one paid by that date. Ask Rocío for a schedule.
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To book, message Rocío by email or WhatsApp. No payment here: she replies personally, confirms your place and sends the next steps.
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Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.
Why Easy? A PADI Open Water or Advanced course with a wreck dive. Beginners welcome, calm pace.
Gentle. The easiest we offer. Beginner-friendly, at your own pace. Good if you are nervous. No skills needed.
Easy. A beginner course or guided session in calm water, at your own pace. No experience needed.
Moderate. Open-ocean or deeper water with boat days. You should feel comfortable in the water and follow guidance.
Adventurous. Longer days, stronger conditions or more skills needed.
The dive resort, the rooms and a few more moments from this trip.
The pool and garden at the dive resort in Amed, with a warm Balinese welcome
Never guaranteed, never chased. Tap an animal to see how it lives, where it travels and a fun fact.
Green turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Hawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered
Bumphead parrotfishBolbometopon muricatumSeen in 5 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Bigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 3 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Spotted garden eelHeteroconger hassiSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Great barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Bargibant’s pygmy seahorseHippocampus bargibantiSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Broadclub cuttlefishAscarosepion latimanusSeen in 2 countries in the AtlasData Deficient
Whitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Blacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterusSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
RareOcean sunfish (mola)Mola molaSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasVulnerableAnimals marked Rare are recorded here, but seen only now and then.
🟢 Harmless🟡 Calm, give space🟠 Defensive if pressured🔴 Potentially dangerous, respect
Sources: FishBase
Sources: NOAA Fisheries
Sources: NOAA Fisheries
Sources: FishBase · DAN Alert Diver
Sources: FishBase
All year.
The USAT Liberty is a piece of history under the waves: a US Army ship, torpedoed in 1942 and carried into the sea by the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung. About 120 m long, resting in 3 to 30 m of water.
Calm, shallow coral reefs and a deep wall in sheltered Jemeluk Bay.
All year.
An underwater postbox and Balinese statues rest in sheltered Jemeluk Bay, now part of the reef.
Wildlife is never guaranteed. Months can vary from year to year.
Wildlife and weather by month. Nothing here is a promise.
| Feature | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAT Liberty wreck, Tulamben | January: all year | February: all year | March: all year | April: all year | May: all year | June: all year | July: all year | August: all year | September: all year | October: all year | November: all year | December: all year |
| Underwater statues and postbox, Jemeluk Bay | January: all year | February: all year | March: all year | April: all year | May: all year | June: all year | July: all year | August: all year | September: all year | October: all year | November: all year | December: all year |
| Weather | January: wetter months | February: wetter months | March: wetter months | April: good weather window | May: good weather window | June: good weather window | July: good weather window | August: good weather window | September: good weather window | October: good weather window | November: wetter months | December: wetter months |
You can dive here all year. April to October is the drier window, and early dives at the Liberty are the calmest.
An honest look at food, noise, smells, heat and local customs, so you can decide calmly. If something matters to you, tell Rocío. She will check it for you.
EasyPossible with planningAsk Rocío
You choose your own restaurants here. Local cafes and warungs (small local eateries) serve Indonesian and Western food, and Indonesian food often uses tofu and tempeh. We have not checked vegan menus in Amed ourselves, so ask when you order.
We have not checked gluten free options in Amed and Tulamben. Please ask Rocío, and ask each kitchen about soy sauce and noodles.
Amed is a line of small seaside villages and is one of the quieter parts of Bali. The Liberty wreck at Tulamben gets busy with day-trip divers from about 10am, so early dives are calmer. Nyepi is a full day of silence.
Incense burns on the small daily offerings in front of homes, shops and temples, mostly in the morning. The dry-season forest-fire haze in the UK travel advice is about Sumatra and Kalimantan, not Bali.
Daytime is about 29 to 30°C all year. Humidity is about 76 to 85%, highest in the wet season (December to March). The sun is very strong, so plan for shade and water.
Rocío matches you with a course and a small resort here; she does not host a group. Course days follow the school’s timetable. Ask Rocío which school and plan give you enough rest and quiet time.
The drive from Bali airport is about 2.5 to 3.5 hours by private car. Many dives start from the shore, walking in over a pebble beach; at Tulamben local porters can carry your tank. Ask Rocío about steps at the resort.
It is hot and humid, and dengue (spread by mosquitoes) is a year-round risk. Local health care can be basic. The nearest hyperbaric (dive) chamber is at Kasih Ibu Hospital in Saba, east Bali; the travel time from Amed is not yet confirmed. Divers with asthma need a dive medical check first. Please check with a doctor or a dive medical before you book.
Yes. Amed and Tulamben are in the Karangasem marine conservation area.
Established by Ministerial Decree KepMen KP No. 123/2023. The area includes Tulamben, where the USAT Liberty wreck lies, and Amed. It has protected zones and zones where diving is allowed.
The USAT Liberty is not a purpose-built dive site. It is a real ship with a real story. Torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on 11 January 1942 while carrying railway parts and rubber, it was under tow toward safety when it began taking on too much water, so it was beached at Tulamben to save what could be saved. It sat quietly on the sand for two decades, until tremors from the 1963 eruption of nearby Mount Agung shook it loose into the sea, where it still rests, in about 7.6 to 30.5 m (25 to 100 ft) of water, some 40 m from shore. Diving down to a slice of that history, slowly and with your instructor next to you, is part of what makes Tulamben unlike anywhere else you will learn.
A protected area still has rules. Your guide explains them before every session.
Solid circles are part of the trip. Dashed circles are ideas for your free time.
Chosen at booking.
Tulamben.
Optional extension.
Optional extension.
Rice terraces with a small café.
Temple complex in Karangasem. Seven temples on the hiking path, the top one at 1,060 m.
A royal water palace with a temple, built in 1946.
A Bali Aga village known for double-ikat geringsing textiles.
A sheltered bay with an underwater postbox and statues.
A calm sandy bay.
A paved ridge track of about 2 km. A popular sunset spot.
A waterfall of more than 40 m near Ubud.
Terraced rice fields about 10 km north of Ubud.
Across from Ubud Palace. Produce in the morning, handicrafts later.
Opening hours and fees can change. Rocío will help you plan your free time.
Preparation guide. We send you a full guide, gear, fitness, transfers and ocean conditions, once you book. Meanwhile, see Ro’s packing picks ↗.
You fly into Denpasar, Bali (DPS). Routes and prices change often, so this opens a live search instead of a guess.
Type in any language: Geneva, Genève, Ginebra or Genf all work. Not on the list? Just type your city and press a button.
Entry rules depend on your passport, your itinerary and current regulations, so please always check for yourself rather than relying on this page. IATA Travel Centre ↗ is a free tool used by airlines worldwide to check passport, visa and health requirements for any nationality and destination. CIBT Visas ↗ is another good place to check. And it is always worth a quick check with your own embassy or consulate too, just in case.
Speed is one of the simplest things a boat captain controls, and it matters a lot to the animals we visit. Research from many oceans shows the same pattern: a slower boat is less likely to hit a whale, turtle or manatee, gives animals time to move away, and makes less noise under the water.
A study of 47 recorded ship strikes on large whales found the chance of a deadly injury was 21 per cent at 8.6 knots but 79 per cent at 15 knots. Below 11.8 knots, a strike is more likely to be survived than not.
Since 2008, the United States has required vessels 65 feet (about 20 metres) or longer to travel at 10 knots or less in set areas and seasons along the East Coast, to protect North Atlantic right whales. A later study estimated these limits cut the risk of deadly ship strikes by 80 to 90 per cent.
In Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, researchers watched 1,890 green turtle encounters. 60 per cent of turtles moved away from a boat going 4 km/h, but only 22 per cent at 11 km/h and 4 per cent at 19 km/h.
In Sykes Creek and the Barge Canal on Merritt Island, Florida, eight manatees were killed by boats in the 42 months before year-round slow speed was enforced. In the 42 months after, only one was killed.
Recordings of 1,582 ships in Haro Strait, between Washington State and British Columbia, showed that most ships get about 1 decibel louder for every extra knot of speed. This noise reaches the high sounds that killer whales use to find food.
When ships in Haro Strait were asked to slow to 11 knots, underwater noise fell by 2.5 decibels, about 44 per cent less sound energy. Scientists estimated this cut the feeding time killer whales lose to noise by 22 per cent.
Check Rocío’s recommendations: reef-safe sunscreen, recycled swimwear, comfortable hair accessories for the mask, and the camera she actually dives with.
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5 days, dates on request
Why Easy: A PADI Open Water or Advanced course with a wreck dive. Beginners welcome, calm pace.
To book, message Rocío by email or WhatsApp. She replies personally with dates and next steps.
More answers in Planning & FAQ · About Rocío · Protected waters we visit · Ethical ocean travel journal
Somewhere off Tulamben, an old wreck is slowly becoming a reef, glass fish drifting through its hull in the afternoon light. Come see it for yourself. See how to join.
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