Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site
Home · Contact Me · Sydney Reef Dive Sites · Sydney Shipwrecks · NSW Dive Sites · Australian Dive Sites · Overseas Dive Sites · Dive Accidents and Incidents · My Yachting Adventures · 4WD Trips · Weather · Search 08 November 2024 04:29
Navigation
Home

General
About Me
My Diving
FAQ
Downloads
Web Links - Dive Clubs
St George Scuba Club
Some of my Best Photos
Contact Me

Dive Sites
Sydney Reef Dive Sites
Sydney Shipwrecks
Sydney Dive Visibility, Swell and Temps
Kelly Talking on ABC Sydney about Shipwrecks
NSW Dive Sites
Sydney Shipwreck Summary
NSW Shipwreck GPS/Marks
Australian Dive Sites
Overseas Dive Sites
Aircraft I have Dived
Old Bottles
Free Shipwreck Books

Dive Related Equipment
Shearwater Predator and Heinrichs Weikamp OSTC 2N
Uwatec Aladin Dive Computers
Apollo AV1 Underwater Scooter
Bauer Compressor
DIY Oxygen Stick - Nitrox
GoPro HD Hero Video Camera
My Camera Setup
Purchase of New Dive Boat
My Dive Boat - Mak Cat
My Old Dive Boat - Le Scat
My Dive Gear
GPS and Diving
Make Your Own Car Tank Rack

Marine Life
Rarer Sydney Marine Life
Bare Island Pygmy Pipe Horses
Bare Island Sea Horses
Bare Island Nudibranchs
Bare Island Marine Life
Encounter with Southern Right Whale and Calf

Other Dive Info
How Weather Affects Diving in Sydney
Visibility and Wave Averages in Sydney
Waves and Diving
Diving Weather and Sea Conditions
Tide Tables
Dive Accidents and Incidents
Dive Book Reviews
Site Map
Noel Hitchins 1951-2005
Lloyd Bridges - Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt
My Yachting Adventures
Below is a list of links to the main pages about my yacht, Catlypso and My Yachting Adventures:
  • Purchase of Catlypso
  • Details about Catlypso
  • Cleaning/Repairing Catlypso
  • My Yachting Adventures.
  • Login
    Username

    Password



    Forgotten your password?
    Request a new one here.
    Michael's 4WD Trips
    Click here for a list of my Four Wheel Drive and Camping Trips.
    Home Brewing
    Click here for an article about Home Brewing.
    Sydney Dive Site Hints
    "Henry Head inside Botany Bay has some amazing sponge life"
    Sidem, Tulamben, Indonesia
    Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving, Sidem, Indonesia

    In 2023 I travelled to Tulamben for the third time and spent just over two weeks diving the north-eastern coast of Bali. I used Liberty Dive Resort, click here to read about the town and dive operations. This was the last dive site I visited during the trip and one I had not visited on previous trips. There are literally hundreds of potential dive sites located within a few kilometres of Tulamben but only a dozen or so are able to be visited.

    Sidem is located about 6.1 kilometres to the south-east of Tulamben (by road) and is one of the most distant local dive sites. An approximate GPS mark for the dive spot is S8° 18.5460" E115° 36.9130" (using WGS84 as the datum).

    Satellite Photo
    A satellite photo from Google Earth that shows the location of the dive site which is just north of the headland
    Entry is the gap between the boats

    After heading south out of town, you travel along the main road and then down a side road towards the ocean. The dive site is just north of a headland and what appears to be a very palatial house. There is a large shade shelter, some tables/seats, a toilet, shower and camera wash tank.

    SidemSidem
    The dive gear up spotThe beach at Sidem

    As with most beaches near Tulamben, there are fishing boats hauled up all along the beach. The beach itself is black sand from the nearby Mount Agung volcano (which is active, last eruptions where in 2017-18). The is an easy site to enter and exit the water as the beach is more sand than rocks.

    Once underwater, there are rocks which then turns to black sand again a little deeper. It takes about two minutes swimming to get to the actual start of the slope. You follow a large mooring rope out to the 6 to 7 metre area where there is a large concrete mooring. The slope starts here.

    SidemSidem
    Two Moorish idols and one of the large moorings in the shallowsA very colourful lionfish

    Unlike many of the Tulamben dive sites, this one has no ridges. There is just a slope that descends fairly consistently across its width. The normal dive is straight out and then to the left and back again. Like all the sites around here, the depth just keeps on going down. I went to about 26 metres, but took 40 minutes to get there.

    If you go to the right once you hit the mooring, the bottom is similar but after a while you will come to a rocky reef which runs north-east from the headland. This is not actually dived (like most of the reefs) but is a nice background to the dive. Again, you head down deeper and then work your way back up.

    SidemSidem
    An interesting leatherjacketThis is a small pygmy pipehorse, not as colourful as our Sydney pygmy pipehorse
    Head is at bottom one quarter from left

    On this dive we saw plenty of stuff, it was the most varied I think of my 29 dives in 2023. Highlights were a black anglerfish, a pipefish, a pygmy pipehorse, a robust ghost pipefish, shrimp, pompom crabs and a few species of nudibranchs. There were probably not as many nudibranchs as most dive sites, but the other things made up for the lack of them.

    SidemSidem
    One of the nudibranchs I sawA shrimp on a featherstar

    In the shallows there was also a lot to see. As well as the Moorish idols which are at every site, there was a striped snake eel swimming around, hunting for food. There were also a few lionfish and lots of butterflyfish, especially around the mooring.

    SidemSidem
    A glass shrimpA very colourful bubble shell called batwing slug, Siphopteron citrinum

    An amazing thing I witnessed and videoed, was a decorator crab in the middle of a large anemone. This was interesting enough, but what happened next was simply stunning. The clownfish were obviously upset about this, they were all swimming around and harassing the crab. Then, the largest clownfish came in and grabbed the decorator crab and threw it out of the anemone.

    Of course I missed videoing this, however, the crab was determined to get back in the anemone. Soon it was in the middle again. This time I had my GoPro running. Again, the largest clownfish came in and grabbed it and threw it out. The crab ended up a good 200 mm from the edge of the anemone. Brilliant to see and video!

    SidemSidem
    This decorator crab was in the middle of the anemoneThe decorator crab with the clownfish that eventually threw it out of the anemone

    You can spend a lot of time doing your safety stop in the shallows and not be bored. I spent 10 to 15 minutes in this area on my two dives.

    SidemSidem
    A pompom crabA robust ghost pipefish

    A great dive site. I think I should have went there for a couple more dives on my trip. Next time I will.

    SidemSidem
    A snake eelOne of two tiny starfish I saw on this dive, the smallest ones I have ever seen, only 3-4 mm across

    SidemSidem
    Closeup of some razorfishThe razorfish normally swim like they are on the right of the photo,
    but when they want to move quickly, they change their orientation
    to swim like normal fish as on the left

    SidemSidem
    A pipefish we sawAn anglerfish

    Copyright © Michael McFadyen 1990 to 2024
    Non-commercial use of an article or photograph is permitted with appropriate URL reference to this site.
    Dive shops, dive operators, publications and government departments cannot use anything without first seeking and receiving approval from Michael McFadyen.
    This web site has been wholly thought up, designed, constructed and funded for almost 30 years by Michael McFadyen without any help from the Australian Dive Industry.
    Website created 1996!