Diving at Menjangan Island

Located on the north western tip of Bali, Menjangan Island can be reached by boat from Labuhan Lalang port or from Terima Bay in Buleleng regency. It is received its name from the wild java deer that graze on its open savannahs. Menjangan Island is one of Bali’s premier scuba diving and snorkeling locales, this island has reefs that are frequented by species of fish of every size, shape and color. Menjangan Island boasts of 110 species of reefs and 226 species of reef’s fish and other kind of fish.

Menjangan Island has a good geographical position. With no current and wind-generate waves to contend with Menjangan Island is suitable for beginning and intermediate divers. And when it comes to visibility, Menjangan Island holds the sway, occasionally, the water can be crystal clear, and for the rest of the time visibility seldom go under 25 meters.

Under the water surface, Menjangan Island has variety of underwater terrain, from two meters below the surface to 150 meters offshore. The interesting feature which is offered by this island to the divers is soft coral walls around the island. The walls are almost vertical and extended down to 35-60 below the surface. The reef has unusually rugged surface with caves, grottoes, crevasses and funnel-like splits break up the coral wall, with nooks and crannies texture the surface of the walls. The walls are covered various large-size Gorgonians, huge-barrel sponges and soft corals.

On the south side of the island, divers can explore a spectacular 120-meter dropoffs and caves. On the north western end of Menjangan Island lies the “Anker” wreck, a 25-meter wreck lies on a sandy slope from 7 meters down to 45 meter underwater. This spot has excellent soft corals with variety of fish such as parrotfish, surgeonfish, unicornfish, butterflyfish, batfish, damselfish, triggerfish, scorpionfish, bannerfish and other reef life.

source:blog.baliwww.com

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Tulamben

Tulamben is 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 torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942 lies just off shore. During high-season, up to 100 divers descend to the wreck each day.

The town’s name is derived from the word batulambih, which roughly translates as “many stones” a reference to the destructive eruptions by Mount Agung that have affected this part of Bali from time to time. The modern name evolved over time, first to “Batulamben” and finally settling on the contraction Tulamben (“batu” means “stone” in Indonesian).

The wreck lies in shallow water and is considered appropriate for divers of all certification levels. The ship rests in 30 meters of water, is roughly 25 meters from shore and can be reached with a short swim from the beach. The highest point of the wreck tops out about 5 meters from the surface. The ship was torpedoed by the Japanese off the nearby Island of Lombok and the ship was towed to the beach at Tulamben for salvage operations. The 1963 eruption of Mt. Agung, which devestated much of the eastern side of Bali, drove the ship into the water just off shore, where it became encrusted with coral and a home to other sea life.

The best conditions for diving here are during October and November, when the weather is generally calm and during the start of southeast monsoon, which typically extends from May to July. In addition to a wide variety of corals and invertebrates on the wreck itself, large fish frequent the wreck in some seasons, most popularly Mola mola and whale sharks. Professional divers have praised local residents for minimizing local fishing activity.

source:blog.baliwww.com

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