Welcome to Tulamben, a small fishing village on the north-east coast of Bali. It is among the most popular dive sites on Bali since the wreck of the Liberty, a US Army Transport ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942, and lies just off shore.
Tulamben is also renowned for its Muck Diving...
"Muck diving gets its name from the sediment that lies at the bottom of many dive sites - a frequently muddy or "mucky" environment. Other than muddy sediment, the muck dive substrate may consist of dead coral skeletons, discarded fishing equipment, tires and other man-made garbage."
'Selamat datang' to Tulamben for 5 days of mainly Muck diving with a splash of Wide Angle photography relaxing and being pampered at Tulamben Dive Resort.
Here you get a 1:2 diver ratio to dive guide to meet your requirements and any specific macro subjects to find and shoot (photograph), and the boutique Resort soothes everything you need to let go of.
So lets gear up, check air, mask, computer, camera and wade out into the blue warm (29dg) waters of Tulamben with a sunrise dive to experience the well renowned Bumphead Parrot fish of the USAT Ship Wreck.
It's time to head back to the Resort, have breakfast and off-gas (surface time) before I head back for some Macro muck diving at Batu Niti, with a hope of seeing the local schooling Jack Fish in the shallows. The Jack Fish frequent the local waters, but do move from location to location, so 100% 'Not Guarantee' as most dive guides will tell you.
In the above slides you can see I played with the schooling Jack Fish and became entwined within the Ball with them totally surrounding me for over 8 minutes, amazing 'Moment'. Also as promised you can see an assortment of Macro subjects, mainly Nudibranch and a tiny Frogfish.
The next day see's me play tourist and take some dry land 'Moments' to experience what else Tulamben has to offer, so I head off on a 1/2 day tour with a private 1:1 tour guide to see the few sites is has to offer.
First stop is to witness and take some photo's of the infamous Mt Agung which has caused some scares and disruption to Tulamben over the past 12 months. Thankfully for the local people she is resting comfortably now.
Luckily for me today there is very little cloud which makes for a great Selfie opportunity.
Onward only a few short minutes to witness Tirta Gangga (Water Palace).
The former Royal Palace of Tirtagangga (which means water of the Ganges, Hinduism's holy river) features tiered fountains, gardens, and stone sculptures of mythical creatures spouting water into bathing pools.
This place impressed me and in recent travels to China, Japan, Thailand and Indo-China I have seen my fair share of Temples and places of Worship, but I must say this is right up there. The tranquility, manicured gardens, places of worship, prayer, meditation and alike were impressive along with the structures, simply a pleasure to witness and absorb.
I took the opportunity to have a private guide with me and explain the history, sections & meanings of the Palace which helped immensely, worth the 50,000IDR-gave 100,000 ($10).
Next was to be reckless with abandoned youth and visit the Lemped Tree House climb only minutes from the Water Palace. Here they have built bamboo ladders, swing bridges and look-outs within the high high trees, yes built to Australian Engineering Standards (NOT).
So as I take my life in my own hands I explore the different levels, swing bridges and levels of lookouts with amazement as they sway in the wind until I get the knee shakes (literally). Its time to touch 'terra firma' and gaze back up in disbelief the heights I just climbed.
Here I take a moment to reflect and wonder into the eyes of 2 baby Owls just sitting on a log perch on the Cafe table.
Enough with foolishness and we take a leisurely drive to a Tree Top place at the base of Mt Agung to round off the days site-seeing. This property is high in the foothills of Mt Agung and has views over the coastline and back up to the Volcano, and they are currently building a series of Mud-Hut style accommodation, as well as a Yoga Retreat.
Today has been enjoyable, entertaining & enlightening to witness and experience Tulamben with it 'treats & teasers'
In closing, 'Take Every Chance You Get In Life, Because Some Things Only Happen ONCE', & let my stories and experience give you inspiration to create your own Moments.
Another 'Rivetting Moment', to inspire & ignite the traveller in you, to broaden life challenges & experiences!!!