The Liberty Wreck

19 April 2006, 09:49:14 (1369 clicks)

The wreck of the US Liberty is probably the most famous and popular dive site in all of Bali

Its hard to believe that just 40 meters off the beach on Tulamben Bay lies one of the best and safest wreck dives to be found anywhere in the world. The wreck of the US Liberty is probably the most famous and popular dive site in all of Bali. Not only is their a 120 meter wreck just off the beach but it is swarming with tame and curious marine life.

The Liberty was a freighter carrying war materials from Australia to aid the allied effort in the Philippines. Traveling as part of a convoy of ships through the Lombok Strait it was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-166 in the early hours of January 11th 1942. Badly crippled, the Liberty remained afloat and was taken under tow in an effort to get it to Singaraja for repairs. The Liberty was taking on too much water and was eventually beached in Tulamben bay where it sat for the next twenty years. Then in 1963 the highest of all mountains in Bali, Gunung Agung, erupted causing powerful earthquakes that rolled the beached ship to her final resting place below the waters.

After 40 years since it was pushed below the seas, the Liberty has become a haven for a vast diversity of marine life and a simply breath taking dive experience to be enjoyed by all levels of divers. Having enjoyed wreck diving for many years in the UK I am well versed to having to travel hours by boat into deep and cold waters to experience the thrill of a wreck, and if your see any fish it’s a bonus! Well the Liberty is wreck diving as it should be, just a simple swim but meters from the shore and there she lies swarming with fish life!

As you descend a couple of meters and slowly start to swim down the black sand slope towards the wreck, stones give way to dark sands at about 5 meters and then the greeting party of fish charge forward as if the dinner bell has been sounded. The Wrasse and Goatfish fight for your attention with the larger Rudder and Surgeon fish all keen to seek out any food you disturb from the sea floor with your fins. These fish have hosted more divers than all the PADI dive shops in Bali over the years and friendly is an understatement to describe the welcome you receive from these marine creatures. Once you run the gauntlet of the welcome party you notice the tens of whip like Sand eels swaying in unison about 50cm out of their borrows. As you reach 8 – 10 meters there before you stands the dark shape you the wreck, 120 meters of twisted coral encrusted steal laying in some of the most accessible and fertile waters in the entire Indo- Pacific. For me one of the best things about the wreck is the sheer numbers of near tame fish to be found making the wreck their home. Sweetlips lay close to the sand in just 8 meters of water, unicornfish, batfish, angle fish and huge schools of big eyed jack swirl around you during the dive. If you are bringing a camera make it a digital and have plenty of memory because this is one dive you do not want to run out of shots on, there is so much to film diving the Liberty. Once you round the stern of the ship you notice the large gorgonians, brightly colored soft corals and sponges covering most every surface of the wreck. Cruising the deeper seaward side of the wreck you can look up and see the silhouettes of thousand of fish hovering above you, if you’re lucky you may meet the Giant Napoleon Wrasse and Bump Head Wrasse that have made this their home. As you enter the cargo hold of the ship look up and see the ball of schooling big eyed jacks and possibly the biggest Barracuda you will ever come across.

With an experienced dive guide you will be able to find the most well camouflaged critters that you may normally drift past. The colored Nudi branches, the ever illusive Ghost Pipe Fish and grumpy looking Frog Fish, and we have only just scraped the surface! I can honestly say that not matter how many times I have dived the Liberty I always find something new to see on every dive.

If you want to really take in the wonders of the Liberty join us for a weekend dive safari in Tulamben and try a night dive on the wreck where another shift of night dwellers come out to play. No matter if it’s your first or 1000th dive, the wreck of the Liberty is an absolute must dive in Bali.