The USAT Liberty was a United States Army transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Lombok Strait on January 11, 1942. The ship was towed to the beach at Tulamben for salvage, but the eruption of Mount Agung in 1963 pushed the wreck off the beach into the sea, where it now rests at depths of 5 to 30 meters.
Today, the 120-meter wreck is completely encrusted in coral and sponges, creating an artificial reef that supports an astonishing diversity of marine life. The wreck lies parallel to the shore, just 30 meters from the beach, making it one of the most accessible wreck dives in the world -- no boat required.
The shallowest sections of the wreck at 5-8 meters are perfect for snorkelers and beginner divers. Open Water divers can explore most of the external structure down to 18 meters. Advanced divers can penetrate some sections and explore the deeper stern area at 28-30 meters, where large groupers and barracuda often congregate.
Marine life highlights include pygmy seahorses (found on sea fans at around 20 meters), nudibranchs in every color, garden eels in the sand, giant barracuda schools, bumphead parrotfish that arrive at dawn, and sleeping turtles tucked into the wreck structure.
For photography, the best time to dive the wreck is early morning (7-8am) when sunlight streams through the structure creating dramatic light rays. The black volcanic sand provides a stark contrast to the colorful coral growth on the wreck. Wide-angle lenses capture the scale of the wreck, while macro lenses reveal the incredible small life.
We recommend diving the Liberty wreck as a full day trip from Canggu or Seminyak, departing at 5am to arrive for the best morning light. The 2.5-hour drive passes through scenic east Bali. We typically do 2-3 dives including the wreck, the Coral Garden, and the Drop Off.