LibertyBali’s Treasure Wreck Microcosm of Life Text and photos by Don Silcock

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THIS & PREVIOIUS PAGE: Scenes from the wreck of the Liberty; Pinnate batfish (right)

The Liberty wreck has long up the coast road and over been a dive that most the nearby mountains into the town’s main street—in fact, divers aspire to have in their the only street—but now they logbooks, but in recent years are also being bussed in from the wreck has graduated onto the west and the new resorts the backpacker “must do” list that have been built in nearby villages where the real estate of experiences that have to be is cheaper. completed before reaching 25. This is , the small town on the northeast coast of The first ones arrive just after eight and , and “they” are the scuba on a busy day, within the next hour the diving tourists who come to car park will be filled with a selection experience the island’s most famous I was by the rich marine life and of cars, mini-buses plus the odd large wreck, and arguably one of the best beautiful soft corals it supported, but I coach and a quick walk around will known wrecks in the world, the USAT also recall being taken aback by the expose you to a veritable United Liberty. number of divers on the wreck. Nations of international accents. They I vividly remember my first dive on the That was some 13 years ago when used to come mainly from the east, wreck back in 1999 and how impressed there was no car park, only a hand-

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full of dive resorts in operation, and Liberty Insider’s Guide had indeed dived it dozens of times on my way back up to Tulamben. it felt really crowded sharing the If you had asked me last year, over the years, I could still manage Tony and his wife, Dot, are overall experience with 20-30 other “Have you dived the Liberty?” I to get lost on it and did not possess very well-known in the Australian divers. would have waxed lyrically about the intimate knowledge of its dive industry as the people who These days, it is not uncommon to the various experiences I have topography that I needed to write developed the Exmouth have more than 100 divers on the had on the wreck and how I have a definitive article on this famous and on Ningaloo wreck during the busiest hours of the learned to dive it early in the wreck. , in Western , and also day, and in the peak seasons, those morning before everybody arrives. So, I approached Tony Medlow helped set-up the whale shark Code numbers can easily exceed 150! Plus, I would have told you about of Tulamben Wreck Divers to see if of Conduct that has been a key So, is the Liberty wreck still worth the various hot-spots you should visit he would help me write an “insider’s part of the successful interaction diving, or is it being killed by its on the wreck to see a particular guide to the Liberty wreck”, and to with whale sharks there. popularity and become a mere type of fish or coral. my delight, my email was answered Tony and Dot have been diving Longnose hawkfish (above); Diver in huge school of jacks (top); shadow of its former pristine glory? But then I realized that although I within minutes. The next week, I was the Liberty wreck since the early Bumphead parrotfish and diver on reef (right) 57 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Liberty

THIS PAGE: Diver explores the architecture of the Libery wreck, heavily laden with thriving corals and marine life

very early and then that run down the northeast coast of the memorable dives. dive different sections island into the mighty . Those during the day with waters flush through Tulamben Bay and Early morning on the Liberty specific objectives in are the key to the sheer resilience of the I used to be utterly convinced that mind. wreck and its ability to regenerate. entering the water around 07.30 was His view is that the The rich marine population of the the best time of day on the Liberty, but Liberty is basically a Liberty has also learned to adjust to the the truth is that you really should be daily influx of leaving the wreck at that time to enjoy visitors. So, if you a hot breakfast and reflect on what you arrive during have just seen. Zero-6.00 is the witching peak hours with hour if you want to start the day with a a fish-eye lens “bumphead moment”, because around to capture the the stern—the usual entry point for the bigger residents, wreck—in about 15m of water, you will 1980s, and when they decided to sell their microcosm of the you are likely to encounter a large school of bumphead business in Exmouth, a move to Tulamben best diving Bali be disappointed. parrotfish performing their morning became the logical next step. They set has to offer, but it But if you adjust ablutions before heading out for the up Tulamben Wreck Divers in 2001 in is more than just your timing and day. partnership with former dive guide turned a dive site—the expectations Early risers, the bumpheads spend the local entrepreneur, Wayan Ambek. wreck is a living around the night down around the bow in about Tony’s very clear advice to me was thing, nourished rush hour(s), it’s 25m of water where they can rest in that if I really wanted to experience the and sustained by possible to have the shelter of the hull. They congregate best the wreck has to offer I should start the rich waters some incredibly around the stern as the sun’s rays start

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THIS PAGE: More scenes of the coral-encrusted wreckage; Candy crab (right)

to penetrate and light up the At nearly six feet long, and wreck. equipped with some fierce- If you are lucky, you will get 15 looking dental capability, to 20 minutes with them. With a George is a serious fish who bit of careful maneuvering—whilst graces you with his presence keeping a wary eye on those and moves on when his curiosity formidable teeth—it is possible is satisfied. to edge up really close to the If George is nowhere to be bumpheads, which makes for some seen, you can go for quantity, memorable photography. rather than individual quality, Early morning is also the best and spend some time with the time for a random encounter with huge school of jacks that hangs “George”, the giant barracuda out around the stern. Used to that has made the Liberty his home. divers and snorkelers, the jacks will in clear water from the deep, once George appears to have lost much allow you to enter their midst if you you have had your fill of the jacks, of his natural apprehension to do so slowly and carefully. A good it is a great time to photograph scuba divers, and being a curious model will allow you to create both the stern and the bow of fish, will often come and eyeball some stunning images in the early the Liberty. Both are large steel you—offering a special Kodak morning light. structures, which at first sight are moment if you are prepared, or There are usually very few other difficult to recognize as part of a one of immediate and imminent divers around. So, early in the large ship, but if you take your time danger if you have never heard or morning, if you are lucky enough to to understand the orientation of the seen him before. be diving on a rising bringing wreck, it is possible to define them

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THIS PAGE: Huge soft corals; Resident school of bumpheads (above)

against the negative space of the want to put that clear blue water. A good model, “If you’re going carefully positioned, will add a nice to San Francisco” touch of scale. At that time of the tape you have morning, because of the wreck’s been saving into the position parallel to the northeast cassette player of shore of Bali, the sun will be behind the VW Combi hippy you and will help to illuminate the wagon… structures despite the low level of the overall light. Mid-morning, The sheer prolificacy of the early afternoon currents that run through Tulamben From 08.30 in the Bay means that the prominent morning, the car large structures of the bow and park will be filling up, stern are richly coated in marine and the volcanic stone beach will transforms from super-model to growth, and the two guns that have a lot of divers getting ready critter finder and becomes worth were mounted on those structures to enter the water. This is the time their in gold. Depending on are hardly recognizable as deadly to forget about the larger residents how deep you meander on the armaments anymore. of the Liberty and its structures and wreck, the maximum bottom time Prophetically, the gun on the concentrate on the smaller stuff you can probably expect is about bow now has a large flower like that lives in the nooks and cracks of one hour, and with the right guide, growth of gorgonian fan on its the wreck. this can be a very productive breech, which will make you It is also when your dive guide period. On the other hand, if you

60 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Diver hovers over the Liberty wreck (left and right); The volcano, Mount The Wrecking of the USAT Liberty travel Agung, on Bali (lower left) The Liberty, contrary to urban myth unlike places like and what its name suggests, is not the Lembeh Strait a Liberty class ship. It was actually where critter locations built in 1918, at the end of WWI as a are networked, in freighter in Kearny, New Jersey, by Tulamben, the location the Federal Shipbuilding Company, of a photogenic critter with a length of 120m and a beam is kept as tight a secret of 17m. Its draft was 24m and had a as the U.S. nuclear gross tonnage of 6211 tons. codes. At the start of WWII, it was That’s why you requisitioned, fitted out with guns need a good guide on the bow and the stern, and then like Made Sadia from operated by the U.S. Army as a Tulamben Wreck transport ship. Divers, who was the perfect central like Lembeh Strait or the Twilight At 04.15 on the morning of 11 combination of super-model and Zone, but it has a lot to see—if you can January 1942, it was torpedoed by critter-spotter. find it in amongst all the wreckage. The the Japanese submarine I-166 in the The Liberty wreck is not critter- mid-section of the wreck is the most Lombok Straits, as it was passing prolific area, but there is stuff all over the through in a convoy of ships taking place, and a good guide like Made will supplies from Australia to the Allied know where to find it. campaign in the . go alone you will probably finish the You can easily do two very productive Badly damaged, two of the dive wondering what all the fuss is and enjoyable dives mid-morning and protecting the convoy about. early afternoon by looking down in took the Liberty in tow to the ship The bottom line in Tulamben amongst the wreckage and simply repair facilities at Singaraja on the is that scuba diving is the only ignoring the promenade of scuba-diving north coast of Bali, but the damaged industry in town, and its relative tourists doing their obligatory circuit of ship was taking on so much water that prosperity revolves around visitors the wreck above you. it had to be beached in Tulamben coming to experience the Liberty. Bay to prevent it from sinking. So jobs in the town all relate, in one Late afternoon There were no casualties in the way or the other, to the wreck and By about 15.30 the tourists are packing actual torpedoing and all the crew the dive guides are the local alpha- up and getting back in their cars and was safely evacuated after the males. busses, and just like the house vendor Liberty was run aground, but the They all know each other, but after one of those necessary but very imminent arrival of the Japanese painful open houses, the residents of the in Bali prevented any of its Tulamben’S Diving Helper Club wreck start to reclaim their home after cargo being salvaged. everybody has left. The Liberty remained beached for One of the things that always intrigues group has grown in numbers, as there Usually, the visibility is not too good at another 21 years, providing a source visitors to Tulamben is the sight of local always seems to be much more than 20 this point because all the visitors have of assorted hardware to the local women carrying multiple sets of diving porters on duty whenever I have been in stirred things up a bit, plus the light villagers and a fishing platform into gear on their heads. No mean feat in Tulamben. fades rapidly, as the sun dips behind the the deeper waters of Tulamben Bay itself, doing it with what appears to be The system works really well, whether 3,000m-high Mount Agung volcano that until 17 March 1963. at least twice their body weight while you are day diving or staying at one dominates Tulamben. But it is still a good On that fateful day, the nearby walking along a volcanic pebble rock of the resorts, as the porters just seem time of the day to put a wide-angle lens volcano, Mount Agung, which had beach is something else! to appear when they are needed, back on your camera and photograph been rumbling for several days, Run by the villagers themselves, the nonchalantly hoisting at least two sets of the beautiful and incredibly prolific soft exploded with such violent seismic Diving Helper Club was an initial group gear on the heads before heading off corals around the deeper sections of that the rusting carcass of of 30 women who arranged to have 20 down the beach. The group operates as the wreck’s mid-section. It never ceases the Liberty was physically lifted and of their numbers always available on any a collective and pools their earnings and to amaze me just how rich these corals rolled down the slope, breaking its given day to carry the heavy equipment tips and the porterage fees. So, make are, and very interestingly, how much back in the process and leaving the of the diving tourists to where they want sure you give them a reasonable tip, they evolve over time. wreck on its side some 40m offshore, it. Started in 1978 by Pak Kari Yasa, the because they are definitely worth it! ■ I have been diving and taking parallel to the shore. ■ Woman of Diving Helper Club carrying air tanks 61 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED travel Liberty

Just look at the life! The Liberty wreck is a thriving ecosystem of marine organisms (left); Circling school of bumphead parrotfish with diver; Diver at forward gun (below)

and while my Japanese was limited to “thank you” and “one more beer please”, I could tell they were very excited about something and eager to share photographs of the Liberty for over 13 thing, but one that needs to be sure to hear that regularly their images. years, and strikingly photogenic hard and considered carefully because it’s easy to in Tulamben, because the That’s the thing about the soft corals in this area seem to come and get lost and a little bit disorientated even wreck acts as a beacon Liberty wreck, you just never go from year to year. Without a doubt, during the day, so after dark, you can to the true pelagics of the know what is around the corner, the heavy traffic of inexperienced and almost guarantee you will. The Tulamben Indo-Pacific. Mola mola’s are and it seems to possess an often deliberately over-weighted “resort dive guides know the wreck better than spotted regularly around the almost infinite capability to divers” take its toll. But incredibly, the the backs of their hands—so would you Liberty in the deep waters surprise and enthrall its visitors. ■ wreck seems able to regenerate itself. if you were diving it every day of the around the mid-section, The only rational explanation of this week. They also know the best place to particularly around August Correspondent Don Silcock is regeneration phenomenon has to be the find stuff once darkness has fallen on the and September when they based in Sydney, Australia. He sheer fecundity of the currents that wash Liberty. So, do yourself a favor and use become quite common. travels widely in Asia and his over the wreck, as they head for the a guide to dive the wreck at night and Whale shark’s also put in website (Indopacificimages. Lombok Strait and the Indian Ocean to experience it at its eerie best! periodic appearances. On com) has extensive information the south. my last dive of this trip, while and imagery of the USAT Liberty Random encounters I was down at the bow in the early was entertaining a group of Japanese wreck and other great dive sites After dark As the old saying goes, “you should morning light trying to get that front divers at the stern. across the Indo-Pacific region. A night dive on the Liberty is a special have been here last week”—you will be cover shot, a four-meter-long whale shark We emerged around the same time,

62 X-RAY MAG : 48 : 2012 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED nasa fact file Bali, RIGHT: Location of Bali on global map BELOW: Location of Tulamben on map of Indonesia FAR RIGHT: Diver hovers over wreck sources: US cia world fact book, SCUBADOC.COM, e-med.co.uk of the USAT Liberty

History In the early 17th cen­ one of Indonesia’s When traveling in the fully. Traffic rules are not followed tury, the Dutch began to colo­ 17,508 islands, rest of the country, as well as in the West. Accidents nize Indonesia. During WWII, the an archipelago Singaraja be aware of the high are frequent. islands were occupied by Japan. located south of degree of risk of food or After Japan’s surrendar, Indonesia the equator where waterborne diseases such Currency Indonesian declared its independence, but the Indian Ocean as bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis Rupiah (IDR). Exchange rate: four more years passed with meets the Pacific. Tulamben A and E, and typhoid fever, as 1EUR=10,002 IDR; 1USD=9132IDR; intermittent negotiations, recur­ The tropical well as vectorborne diseases such 1GBP=14537IDR; 1AUD=9,500IDR; Mount ring hostilities, and UN media­ Indo Pacific Agung northeast as chikungunya, dengue fever, 1SGD=7,316IDR. Credit cards are tion before the let region in which Bali province of and malaria. Please note that accepted by most higher end go of its colony. Home to the Bali is located is Mendoya Bali where highly pathogenic H5N1 avian resorts and businesses. Payment in world’s largest Muslim population, considered to be Tulamben influenza has been identified in US$ cash and traveller’s checks is Indonesia is the world’s largest on of the world’s is located. Indonesia, but it poses a negligible widely accepted. archipelagic state. Its govern­ richest ecologi­ There is a risk with extremely rare cases ment faces several challenges cally biodiverse Denpasar Nusa Lembongan very small possible among visitors who have Dive Season All year round; including alleviating poverty, systems. Bali is in Eastern risk for these close contact with birds (2008) Underwater visibility varies 15 to 35 preventing terrorism, consolidat­ essense a volcanic Java Nusa diseases meters during dry season,10 to 20 ing democracy after 40 years of island with the Ceningan in the rural 3,000,000 (2011 meters during wet season. Nusa Population authoritarianism, reforming the volcano, Mount Nusa Dua Penida areas of est.); Religion: 87% Hindu, 3% financial sector, irradicating cor­ Agung, revered the islands Christian, 8% Muslim Chambers ruption, halting human rights vio­ as a great spirit northwest. Hyperbaric Medical Department lations by the military and police, by the local peo­ Unless you Visa Travelers from most Western Sanglah General Hospital USUP and controlling avian influenza. ple, as its highest peak rising 3,142 the main tourist areas in the south. are arriving from an infected area, countries do not need a visa and Sanglah Denpasar Indonesia reached a historic meters above sea level. Another Monsoons. The dry season takes smallpox and cholera vaccination are automatically given a 30-day JI. Diponegoro Denpasar80114 peace agreement with armed peak, Mount Seraya, which lies place April through November, is no longer required. However, do stay permit upon arrival. Passports Bali, Indonesia separatists in Aceh in 2005, which east of Agung, rises 1174 meters and the wet season, December not drink the water. Buy bottled must be valid for at least six [email protected] led to democratic elections in above sea level. Volcanic island through March. Natural hazards water from the better hotels and months upon arrival in Indonesia. www.sanglahbalihospital.com December 2006. In Papua, a low with high crater peaks, deep val­ include occasional floods, severe resorts. Watch out for Bali belly, Indonesian immigration is very intensity separatist movement leys, cultivated lowlands, lush ter­ droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, temporarily upset stomach from strict. No work is permited while Rumah Sakit Angkatan Laut continues to confront Indonesia. raced rice fields and thick tropi­cal volcanoes and forest fires. unfamiliar, spicy foods. Outside visiting on a tourist visa. (Navy Hospital) Government: republic. Capital of forests in the highlands. higher end hotels and resorts, do Jl. Bendungan Hilir No.17 Indonesia: Jakarta. Main city of Environmental Issues Defor­ not depend on proper heigene. Indonesian Law Very hard on JAKARTA 12950, JAVA, INDONESIA Bali: Denpasar. Time Zone GMT plus 8 estation, sewage, industrial water Shower frequently. Dry thoroughly drug offenders; the death penalty Tel: +62-(0)21-2524974 pollution, urban air pollution, forest­ in extensive humidity. It is recom­ is regularly applied on narcotics Geography Indonesia is locat­ Climate Tropical, hot and fire smoke and haze mended to dry thoroughly and couriers. Web Sites ed in Southeastern Asia. It is an humid. range from use medicated body powder Bali Tourism Authority archipelago of islands between a high of 31°C (88°F) to 25°C Health In Bali, there is no major when exposed extensively to the Driver’s License A valid www.balitourismauthority.net the Indian Ocean and the Pacific (78ºF) low. Highlands are cooler risk. Unlike islands further east heat and humidity to avoid skin international driving license is Bali Guide Ocean with a total coastline of and drier. Lowlands along the in the archipelago, there is no rashes and fungus, especially­ required. Rental car insurance is www.baliguide.com ■ 54,716 km. The island of Bali is coast are pleasantly drier than Malaria/Dengue fever in the during the wet monsoon season. highly recommended. Drive care­

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