The Japanese Wreck, Bali, Indonesia

Site Overview
Dive Centres
Site Type: Pieces of wreckage, but mainly a Muck dive
Depth: Top: 5M Median: 18M Bottom: 24M
Location: 40 minutes north in a fast boat from Padang Bai; or 10 minutes further than Gili Selang

The wreckage is the remains of a 20m steel freighter in 5 – 15m of water, within snorkelling distance of the beach.  Having said that, there’s little remaining of the ship per se. Here is a little video footage of the dive – as you can see, it’s more about muck-diving than wreck diving.

The wreckage is almost just a ‘placeholder’.

The upright steel remnants of the wreckage are encrusted with sponges and Gorgonian fans. The sea bed of black sand slopes at 45° down to about 25 m where it levels off. Most of the interesting stuff is on this slope from the line of the wreckage north including these garden eels, probably watching the last pair of divers disappearing off to the left, not realising we were coming next.

Garden eels all looking the same way diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

There are scattered corals of all shapes and sizes including large sponge barrels.

Squat lobster on a coral vase diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

Looking straight down from the wreck to 24m you’ll see a large Gorgonian on which your guide will likely to be able to point out many tiny (tiny tiny!) critters. I was more interested in the Spotted Moray whose hole is near the base of the fan.

Spotted moray - I think my head's stuck diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

From here the dive proceeds north (slope on left) in the 18 – 22m zone to the ‘corner’ where the coral diminishes, and then returns diagonally back up the slope (slope on right) over and around the coral stacks. As well as the obvious cuttlefish, now is the time to think small, if you want to see more.

Cuttlefish diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

There are Nudis all over the place, blue and green nembrothas (hope I got that right!),…

A blue Nembrotha diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

 

Elizabeth’s Chromodoris …

Elizabeths Chromodoris diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

and the Elegant Phyllidia.

Elegant Phyllidia diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

As well as lots of damsels, including this guy who I believe is a subadult Ambon Damsel (Pomacentrus amboinensis)

And this Ringtail Cardinalfish with the interesting face markings and a giveaway ring around the tail.

Ringtail Cardinalfish diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

There are wrasse, though not many.

Checkboard wrasse diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

And finally a longspine porcupine.

Guessing longspine porcupine diving The Japanese Wreck at Bali Indonesia by Diveplanit

We dived this site with Aquamarine Diving – Bali.  A full 62min dive. The trip on Aquamarine 1 just 40 minutes from Padang Bai.