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, 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.[1]
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 beach in Tulamben is not made of sand, but is entirely covered with fairly large, smooth stones. The modern name evolved over time, first to "Batulamben" and finally settling on the contraction Tulamben ("batu" means "stone" in Indonesian).[2]
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, as well as Black-tip reef sharks. Professional divers have praised local residents for minimizing local fishing activity.[3]
A small Pura or Balinese Hindu temple sits underwater off the coast at a depth of 15 metres.[5]