Amed, East Bali

Freediving in Amed, Bali

A freediver's guide to the dive sites of Amed — Jemeluk Bay, the Japanese Wreck, Lipah and more — and how to combine them with depth training in our home bay of Tulamben.

15–25 m Typical Viz
20 min From Tulamben
7+ Dive Sites
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Amed is a stretch of seven traditional fishing villages on Bali's north-east coast — Amed, Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah, Selang, Banyuning and Aas — collectively known as “the Amed area”. The coastline is famous for its black volcanic sand beaches, calm protected bays, and a chain of accessible freediving and snorkelling sites strung along just 14 km of shore.

Apnea Bali is based in Tulamben, the next major dive village 20 minutes north of Amed. Our home bay is the deepest in Bali (75 m+ from the shore) and is where we do most of our depth training and run the famous USAT Liberty shipwreck dives. We visit Amed regularly for variety: shallower reef freedives, the small Japanese Wreck, and the dramatic wall of Jemeluk Bay. This page is a freediver's guide to the area and how to combine it with what we offer in Tulamben.

Freediving dive sites in the Amed area

From north to south along the Amed coast, the sites most relevant to freedivers are:

Jemeluk Bay

The most popular dive site in Amed. Jemeluk Bay is a wide U-shaped bay with a healthy hard-coral reef on its slope, descending to a dramatic wall that drops past 40 metres just a short swim from the beach. The shallows are perfect for beginners; the wall is a depth-training environment for intermediate and advanced freedivers. Big schools of jacks and the occasional reef shark, plus year-round visibility of 15–25 metres.

The Japanese Wreck (Banyuning)

A small Japanese patrol boat from World War II, around 22 metres long, lying at 6–12 metres depth directly off the village of Banyuning. Unlike the Liberty in Tulamben, the Japanese Wreck is shallow enough for any freediver — including beginners — to explore comfortably. Covered in coral growth, surrounded by glassfish, and a favourite of underwater photographers for the low-depth light conditions.

Lipah Bay

A second beach entry site about 10 minutes south of Jemeluk. Lipah has a gentler reef slope (good for warm-up dives and snorkelling), a small artificial reef structure at 8–12 m, and an old wreck (the Pearl) at 20–28 m for those with the depth to reach it.

Pyramids

An artificial reef of stacked concrete pyramid structures, placed to encourage coral growth and create habitat. Sits at 8–18 m depth, well within reach of an AIDA 2 / Wave 1 freediver. Famous for resident schools and macro life.

Other sites worth knowing

  • Bunutan — coral garden with gentle slope, ideal for relaxed reef freedives.
  • Selang & Aas — quieter southern sites with stronger occasional currents; visited less often.
  • The Wall (Amed Wall) — a less-known wall site reached from a smaller beach entry, dropping past 40 m and similar in profile to Jemeluk's wall.

Conditions, visibility & season

Amed enjoys the same favourable east-coast conditions as Tulamben:

  • Visibility: 15–25 metres typical, occasionally 30 m+ in the dry season, dropping to 10 m during heavier rains.
  • Water temperature: 27–29 °C year-round.
  • Current: generally calm in the named bays (Jemeluk, Lipah, Bunutan). Southern sites (Selang, Aas) can see stronger currents.
  • Best season: the entire year is divable. The dry season (April–October) offers the most consistent visibility and the calmest entries. The wet season (November–March) is also viable, with warmer water and frequently excellent visibility between rain spells.

Why combine Amed with Tulamben?

If you're doing a freediving course or training trip with us, the two areas complement each other:

Tulamben — depth and the wreck

Our home bay (“the drop off”) is the deepest in Bali — 75 m+ accessible from the shore, with our freediving line set in deep water just a short swim from the beach. The USAT Liberty shipwreck sits 200 m from our school. This is where we run all our depth training.

Amed — reefs and variety

Amed adds shallower reef freedives, the small Japanese Wreck (accessible even on day one of a course), and Jemeluk's beautiful wall as an alternative depth-training environment. Great for course “fun dive” days and for certified freedivers visiting the area.

How to get to Amed

Amed is about 20 minutes by car from Tulamben — students staying with us walk to our school and join transfers when we visit. From elsewhere on the island:

  • From Ubud: ~2.5 hours by car along the east coast road.
  • From Canggu / Seminyak: ~3 hours.
  • From Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS): ~3 hours.

Most freediving students arrange a private driver in advance — we're happy to recommend reliable local drivers we work with regularly.

Amed day trips from Apnea Bali

We regularly take freediving students and certified visiting freedivers to the Amed area for guided sessions — whether as part of a longer training programme or as a one-day visit. Exact itinerary, sites visited and pricing depend on your level, group size and what you want to focus on.

To plan an Amed visit with us: get in touch with your level (AIDA / Molchanovs certification you hold, depth you're currently comfortable diving to) and what you'd like to focus on — depth training at Jemeluk Wall, the Japanese Wreck, photography, or a relaxed reef session. We'll send back what we can offer and the cost.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on what you want. Tulamben has the deepest shore-accessible bay in Bali and the famous USAT Liberty shipwreck, making it the better choice for depth training and big-wreck freediving. Amed has gentler reef sites, the shallow Japanese Wreck (accessible to beginners) and the dramatic Jemeluk wall. Most serious freedivers visit both — they're only 20 minutes apart by car.

Yes. Several Amed sites are well-suited to beginners — the shallow Japanese Wreck at 6–12 m and the gentler reef slopes at Lipah and Bunutan are all comfortable for AIDA 2 / Molchanovs Wave 1 freedivers. As always, dive with a trained buddy and within your certified depth.

The reef slope at Jemeluk drops from about 5 metres at the lip down to a wall that descends past 40 metres just a short fin from the beach. For AIDA 3 / Wave 2 freedivers and above it's an excellent alternative depth-training site to Tulamben.

Year-round. The dry season (April–October) gives you the most stable visibility (often 25 m+) and the calmest entries. The wet season (November–March) is also viable, with warmer water and excellent visibility between rain spells.

No. Every site mentioned on this page — Jemeluk Bay, the Japanese Wreck, Lipah, Pyramids — is accessible by shore entry from the local beach. This is one of the great strengths of Amed and Tulamben as freediving destinations: no boats, no boat fees, no early-morning embarkations.

Plan your freediving trip to Amed & Tulamben

Combine depth training in our home bay with reef sessions in Amed — get in touch with your level and we'll design a programme around it.

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