a little guide to freedive in Amed or Tulamben
- Samantha Sucipto
- Jan 2
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 6
Going to someplace new can be nerve-wracking, but here's a guide to help make your freediving journey in Amed or Tulamben easier. This guide is based on my personal experience of doing some freediving courses at Apnea Bali, and I also train mostly in Amed. I wrote mostly some general information here, including the links to Instagram or Google Maps, but if you do need help or have further advice on these, please let me know!
Note: I wrote the prices all in Indonesian Rupiah, and since our currency has too many zeroes, I abbreviated thousands as "K", and millions as "M". So IDR 10.000 will be IDR 10K, and IDR 5.000.000 will be IDR 5M. It's wild, I know.
Choosing which freediving school
There are several freediving schools in Tulamben and Amed. Each one of them is different, and I'll add their Instagram and Google Maps links so you can go ahead and check them out. All of these are based on my personal experience. If something changes, please let me know, and I will edit this post accordingly.
Freediving schools in Tulamben:
Apnea Bali
I think I'm starting with the one I'm most familiar with, and Apnea Bali is where I took my Wave 3 back in 2022 and the instructor course last year in 2024. With more than 15 years of teaching experience and just a short walk away from the shore, Apnea Bali is an awesome place to train and take courses. They offer basic to instructor courses, but they are most famous for their master training: 20 coaching sessions and a Molchanovs Wave 3 certification are included if you pass all the requirements. There's also a 25-meter pool (my favorite), and after the training session, you can just have lunch immediately at Salty Dog Cafe.
PS: if you love dogs and cats, Apnea Bali is their haven. You'll find yourself surrounded with many cute doggos and Toto the cat. They're just too cute!
How to contact them and their location:
There are other freediving schools in Tulamben but I have never paid them a visit, and I think they mostly offer courses in Chinese.
Freediving schools in Amed:
Freediving Amed: I usually train with them as they are closer to where I live (and you can get croissants from Baker Street after training), and the instructors here are so friendly and nice. I also love their training spot as the condition is much calmer and there's rarely any current and you can go up to 50m deep. You can also rent some gears there if you didn't bring your own.
Apneista: If you'd like to train without a coach, Apneista offers training sessions with other freedivers, and you can choose a single pass, 5 passes, or 10 passes. If I remember correctly, a single pass is IDR 150K, while if you buy a 10-pass package, it's IDR 1M.
So basically, they will add you to their training WhatsApp group, and you can just chat in the group if you're training tomorrow. Then you show up at the school around 8 AM, and they will assign you to other freedivers who are going to train to a similar depth as yours, so you don't have to find a buddy on your own. You have to be certified as a Wave 2 freediver, though, but they do offer a full range of courses as well.
Usually, the training takes place at a spot up to 50m deep, but sometimes it can be quite choppy with unpredictable currents. If you'd like to dive deeper, you can sign up for their boat dives, which can take you up to 70m deep.
Fusion Freediving: If you're interested in spearfishing, try Fusion Freediving. They are located near Freediving Amed, and they offer spearfishing and freediving courses as well. If you have your own buoy and gear, you can actually rent their mooring for IDR 10K per person, or you can rent their buoys as well. Fusion has 2 moorings: 30m and 50m, and the conditions are pretty similar to Freediving Amed's as they're quite close to each other.
There are many other freediving schools in Amed, as they are scattered all around this small town, but I have never really been there so I have nothing.
Where to stay: Amed or Tulamben?
Okay, I might be a little biased here as I'm staying in Amed right now, but I'll try to point out some pros and cons for both of these places.
Amed
If you prefer a bustling little town with a variety of freediving schools, cafes, restaurants, and warungs (small, local family-style eateries that mostly serve Indonesian dishes), then Amed is the place for you. Amed is much more "alive" than Tulamben, and there are more options for accommodations as well. Homestays here might cost you at least IDR 180K per day and IDR 4M for a month's stay; some include the electricity and water bill, while others don't.
Tulamben
From Amed to Tulamben, it's a 20-30 minute scooter ride, and if you're training or taking a course at Apnea Bali, staying in Tulamben might be better. It's also famous for the USS Liberty dive site. You can stay at Pondok Tulamben near the school, or other dive centers offer rooms as well. There aren't many restaurants over there and mostly Chinese food, but there are some warungs near the school. There's also a superb laundry near Pondok Tulamben homestay.
How to get to Amed or Tulamben
From the airport or Kuta area, the journey to Amed takes around 2-3 hours depending on the traffic (let's face it, the traffic in South Bali is getting crazier at the moment), and about 3 hours to Tulamben. These are the options depending on your budget and schedule.
Private taxi
Private taxis cost a lot more, probably around IDR 600K-700K, but if you arrive at an ungodly hour or need to get here as soon as possible, these private taxis are your best bet as they take you directly from anywhere in Bali to your accommodation in Amed or Tulamben. Here's David's number; I have known him even before the pandemic and have been using his service since then. David and his crews can pretty much take you anywhere in Bali, just contact him on his whatsapp.
Shuttle bus
If you have time to spare with a lower budget, you can take the private shuttle bus to Amed. This shuttle bus departs from their store Amed around 10 AM, and they gladly take customers back to Amed, directly to your hotel even. You need to go to their pick-up points probably around 2 PM, and the journey might take a little longer since they need to pick up some customers at different pick-up points. Usually, I request to be picked up from Kuta and the airport, so to be honest, I'm not sure how much it costs from the other areas. Here are the pick-up points and how much they usually charge:
Ngurah Rai International Airport: IDR 210K
Kuta area in Polo Tanah Kilap: IDR 180K
Sanur area in Grand Lucky Sanur
Padang Bai
Amed Shuttle Bus and their Whatsapp
They can also arrange the fast boat to Gili via Padang Bai or Nusa Penida via Sanur, and there's a different shuttle bus to Ubud although sometimes they can merge these lines into one so the trip might be slower.
Renting a scooter or a car from the airport
If you're up for an adventure of a 2-3 hour ride from the south, you can also rent a scooter. Mind you, the journey is quite tricky with mountain routes that are quite slippery, especially during the rainy season, and there are a lot of trucks and cars. Renting a scooter or a car might be a good option if you're here for a short trip, as it's quite expensive for the long run.
Scooter rental is also available in Amed or Tulamben, and it probably costs around IDR 50K-150K per day depending on the scooter type, or IDR 1M and up for a month.
So that's all folks, anything else I should write on? Hope this guide helps and enjoy freediving in Bali!
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