Coral Garden is a shallow reef a few hundred metres along the shore from the Liberty wreck, dived from the beach in 10 to 25 metres of water. Current is absent or light, visibility is regularly over 20 metres and the site is diveable all year, which makes it a common choice for beginners and for night dives.
Where it is and how deep
8.2765° S, 115.5942° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The entry is the same kind of beach walk as the rest of this coast, a few hundred metres from the Liberty wreck. From the shallows the reef runs out and down, and the working range is 10 to 25 metres — shallow enough that a single tank goes a long way, with no current to fight on the way back to the exit point.
Coral and tropical fish are the whole of it: there is no wreck or wall to structure the dive, so it is a slow swim out along the reef and back, choosing depth by how much gas is left. Visibility is regularly better than 20 metres and the site is diveable all year. The easy profile and short swim also make it a common choice for a night dive.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Tulamben: Diveable all year. April to July and October to November give the calmest, clearest water; December to March is the rainy season, with more run-off and fewer divers.
Dive videos
Diving Bali, Coral Garden to the Liberty Wreck, Tulamben · Gerhard Zutz on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Coral Garden suitable for beginners?+
Yes. It is dived from the beach in 10 to 25 metres with no current or only a light one, visibility is usually over 20 metres, and the site is accessible all year.
Sources
- Coral Garden dive site — Divezone
In The Logbook
- Cheapest places to scuba dive, and the catchTrip planning · 15 min read
- The best shore dives in the worldShore diving · 8 min read
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Muck & macro
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