Are you looking for the best place to freedive in Bali? Then no doubt it’s Amed – a quaint little town tucked right behind the biggest volcano in Bali, it’s home to one of the most stunning underwater scenery, as well as freediving conditions for both curious baby freedivers and freediving addicts who train everyday.
Having lived in Amed for the past 3 years, we are not shy to say that we know the best freediving spots in town, although there’s always more to discover. So let us share with you some of our favorite freediving spots in Amed, that even after a couple years, still amazes us every time we go.
Jemeluk beach is in “Amed city center” , ranging from Blue star Bungalows to freediving school – the most popular diving spots in Amed.There are some beautiful reefs being recovered 3-5 mins swim away from the shore, as well as a sunken Balinese temple and some statues only 5-7 meters deep – Just ask the fellow snorkelers on the sea if they have seen it !
P.S. watch out for all the boats that park in the bay, I am a little embarrassed to say that I hit my head to it a couple times being distracted by the fishes.
Photo by Jon Lape
I would rate it as the most snorkeling friendly diving spots in Amed, you don’t need to swim far, it’s super shallow (3-5m)and the corals are vibrant. So here is what we always do: park your car or scooter at Vienna beach bungalows, grab a juice to hydrate before diving, swim into the coral spots which is just one step away from the cafe, then after take their signature ice cream while sunbathing to finish off this amazing session, thank me later.
If you are hoping to run into some sea turtles in Amed, then you will have your best shot at Pyramid beach. The sea turtles are usually feeding at 50m close to the shore among the colorful reefs, and if you go a bit further, there is a beautiful drop wall with a few scattered concrete made pyramids at 10-15m depth for growing corals – it looks like an apartment building for those fishes, so fun!
Are you looking for a not crowded beach in Amed? Then the beach area in front of Good Karma Bungalows is probably the best option in town. Find the parking lot of Good karma Bungalows, find the beach and walk all the way to your right, until you see a big tree with a few benches under it. Usually it’s quiet on this beach, after a dip in the ocean (5-10m deep, 30m from the shore), it’s perfect to enjoy a book under the sun.
If you love the feeling of drift diving – not having to fight with the current and moving like a spaceship ! Then this easy drift from pyramid beach to Jemeluk beach is a good option: Enter the sea from Pyramid beach, keep yourself around 30 meters parallel to the shore, and exit at Jemeluk beach. It’s not long, the whole drift should be within 1 hr if you don’t get lost following a sea turtle.
P.S. Usually the direction of the current supports this route, but do read the sea before you go in !
If you have a bunch of experienced, adventurous freediving buddies with you, then this would be a cool half day trip, for us, we always follow with sunset from the boat in the end – it’s like a cherry on top. Hire a boat (find a trusted boat man with good communication) that departs from Jemeluk beach, and as soon as you are out of the bay, you can get off the boat and start the drift! It’s going to be a long drift with some good spots and some boring ones, so wear a wetsuit, and get on the boat to rest from time to time!
Photo by Jon Lape
If you don’t plan yourself a trip to liberty shipwreck, then don’t say you’ve dived in Bali! It’s a huge WW2 shipwreck for all level divers to have fun – it’s totally visible from the surface with the shallowest part at 3m, all the way to 25m deep with some really fun swim throughs at around 10-15 meters.
Here is how to locate the liberty shipwreck – after you arrive to the beach where you find all the scuba divers prepping their equipment, look into the sea and you will see some snorkelers hovering on the surface at around 10-15m offshore. It’s easy! I recommend you to go early in the morning at around 7am, you might be able to run into some bump head parrot fishes that lives there.
P.S. read here for the cool history stories of liberty shipwreck of Tulumban!
Photo by Jon LapeA relatively much smaller shipwreck compared to the ones in Tulumban, the whole reef area along with the wreck itself is only 3-10m deep. If you are with someone who has shipwreck phobia, then this could be a gentle option
Train with schoolIf you are a certified freedivers with AIDA 3 or above, then there is a very active training group in Apneista freediving school, they have half-self organized training almost everyday for less than 10$ (buoy provided, and you find your buddy at their WhatsApp group) , get in contact with them!
If you are relatively a beginner freediver (AIDA 2 or below), then the best idea is to get coachings with instructor from schools like Apnea Bali or Apneista, there are the 2 most active schools in Amed.
These 2 schools also have pretty good advanced training program for deep divers (50m+, 70m+), so check that out!
Congrats on having a bit of freedom in terms of training! However, do note that not all the moorings are free to use – most of them belong to fishermen, or dive schools who pay a “fee” to banjar (community center) to use them. Therefore, do ask around before you hook your buoy on to the mooring.
P.S. Ask for the mooring float of pacha wreck in front of green lemon Warung, it’s kind-of a public mooring for use, it’s around 15m from shore and 25m deep.
Are you looking into buying a freediving buoy in Bali ? We have it in 2 sizes, they fit on your scooter easily, durable and portable – get in touch!
Let us know if you have any questions – we always have some freediving friends in Amed and can always connect you guys. We hope you enjoy!
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Are you looking for the best place to freedive in Bali? Then no doubt it’s Amed – a quaint little town tucked right behind the biggest volcano in Bali, it’s home to one of the most stunning underwater scenery, as well as freediving conditions for both curious baby freedivers and freediving addicts who train everyday.
3 thoughts on “AMED FREEDIVING SELF GUIDE”
Great article thank you so much!
I am on my way to freedive in Amad and this is going to be really helpful.
So thank you very much.
thank you Oren, was very nice to meet you in Amed last year
Maybe you know if someone looking for a buddy, on first week of Aug?