Coral Triangle · Indonesia
Amed
Easy beach entries onto walls, a small wreck and an artificial reef
Photo: Bernard DUPONT · CC BY-SA 4.0
Amed is a 14 km strip of fishing villages on Bali's north-eastern tip, from Culik east through Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah, Selang, Banyuning and Aas. Most of its sites are a beach entry or a short jukung ride away: the Jemeluk Bay wall, the concrete Pyramids, the small wreck known as the Japanese Wreck and the reef of Gili Selang. Most dives run from 3 to 30 m in light current, which makes it an easy, relaxed coast for courses and macro photography.
About diving in Amed
Most of Amed's diving starts on the beach or from a jukung, a traditional Balinese boat, after a very short ride. A dive industry has grown up all the way along the coast, and the beach entries allow a slow, easy descent that is gentle on the ears. Jemeluk Bay is dived both from the beach and by boat in deeper water. The drift dives further east at Selang and Bunutan are generally kept for more experienced divers. Heavy rain sends run-off into the sea and can cut visibility sharply, so dives after a downpour are best avoided.
Jemeluk's beach dives cross a sandy muck bottom and a shallow coral plateau to walls up to 45 m deep, with an artificial reef among them. The muck suits macro photography and the walls suit wide angle. Blue-spotted rays and a field of garden eels lie on the sand around the Pyramids. Off the Bunutan promontory, reef sharks, barracuda and giant trevally gather.
With little or no current at most sites and easy shore access, Amed suits new divers, courses, night dives and macro photographers. The deeper walls ask for more: Jemeluk Secret Wall is kept for divers with at least Advanced certification. Gili Selang is a different dive altogether, with medium to strong current that can carry divers into open sea, and only experienced divers should plan it.
Best time to dive Amed
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
June to September is Bali's dry season, with hardly any rain on the coast; December to March brings west-monsoon showers.
Dive types & marine life
Turtles are frequently seen at Lipah, and the guides there know where to find its baby white-tip reef sharks under the table corals. Ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses are a chance on the muck; the mimic octopus is very rare.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Drift
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Pygmy seahorses
- Macro critters
- Reef fish swarms
- Pristine corals
Best dive sites in Amed
- 1
Jemeluk Bay
Gentle slope from the beach to a wall that drops to 40 m, with sponges and soft coral.
- 2
Japanese Wreck
Small unnamed wreck at 2–12 m off the beach, then a reef sloping gently to 35 m.
- 3
Pyramids
Hollow concrete pyramids 3 m tall on a coral slope at 18–24 m, reached by boat.
- 4
Bunutan
Promontory at 20–40 m with swirling masses of fish, reached by boat.
- 5
Gili Selang
Small island off Bali's easternmost tip with a reef of hard and soft corals and pelagics.
- 6
Lipah
Shark nursery at 3–30 m with its most vibrant coral in the shallows.
- 7
Jemeluk Secret Wall
Wall from 20 to 40 m split by a central pinnacle that divers pass through like a canyon.
- 8
Ghost Bay
Artificial reef favoured for underwater photography.
Site guides
Drift
Barracuda, reef sharks and giant trevally on the promontory
Muck & macro
Ghost pipefish and mimic octopus on volcanic sand
Drift
A drift along a coral slope where the current can turn mid-dive
Wreck
A small wreck in the shallows off a pebble beach
A gentle bay slope that ends at a sheer wall
A pinnacle splits the wall into a canyon divers swim through
A wall reached straight off the beach at Jemeluk
Wall
A sandy approach that ends at a series of walls
A nursery for baby white-tip reef sharks
Muck & macro
Gentle muck slopes favoured by macro photographers
A sunken passenger speedboat at the foot of a muck slope
How to get to Amed
Amed lies on Bali's north-eastern tip, a little more than a 2-hour drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport; a taxi service to Amed is available at the airport. Dive centres operate all along the strip's coast.
Photos from Amed
Dennis Sylvester Hurd · CC0
Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · CC BY 4.0
Bernard DUPONT · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Coral Reefs of Amed | A Hidden Gem For Divers | Bali | Indonesia | 4K HDR | 2024 · Diver's Lens on YouTube
The Best Scuba Diving in Amed, Bali: Bunutan, Pyramids & Japanese Wreck #amedbali #bali #divetravel · Scuba Diving and Dogs on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Amed a good place to learn to dive?+
Yes. Most sites are reached from the beach with an easy, slow descent, current is light or absent, and sites such as the Pyramids need only Open Water certification.
Are Amed's dives from the shore or by boat?+
Mostly from the shore or after a very short ride in a jukung, a traditional Balinese boat. The Pyramids, Bunutan and Gili Selang are boat dives.
Which Amed sites need Advanced certification?+
Jemeluk Secret Wall, which runs from 20 to 40 m, and Gili Selang, where medium to strong current can carry divers out into open sea.
What is the best time of year to dive Amed?+
June to September, Bali's dry season, when the coast sees hardly any rain. December to March brings monsoon showers, and run-off after heavy rain can reduce visibility.
How do divers get to Amed?+
By road from Ngurah Rai International Airport, a little more than 2 hours; a taxi service to Amed is available at the airport.
Sources
- Amed – Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Bali – Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Dive sites Amed and Tulamben — Bali Fab Dive
- Jemeluk Pyramids — Bali Fab Dive
- Lipah — Bali Fab Dive
- Bunutan — Bali Fab Dive
- Gili Selang — Bali Fab Dive
- Jemeluk Secret Wall — Bali Fab Dive
- Amed dive sites — Ecodive Bali
- Best Diving sites in Amed — Divezone
- Gili Selang North — Divezone
- Japanese Wreck — Dive Concepts
Photo credits
- Two banded shrimps with long white antennae on a reef crusted with red, pink and green growth. by Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A wide bay with moored boats below a green hillside, seen from a cliff above the shore. by Dennis Sylvester Hurd, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- One black and yellow striped sweetlips swimming over a grey seabed. by Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- One dark green triggerfish with fine orange stripes and an orange tail over a sandy reef. by Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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