Dive Concepts currently operates from two locations: Tulamben and Sanur. We are in the process of opening up a 3rd location in neighboring Amed and so we have been frequently doing day trips to explore and familiarize ourselves with the dive sites. There is a lot of diving offered in that Area, but the highlight undoubtedly is the Macro dive site close to the new office. We’ll call this new site our house reef!
Even if muck diving has never appealed to you, the vast array of rarities offered here might change your opinion. The orientation of the dive site is very simple. It is a shore dive so you can either descend straight away or kick out to the buoy line about 60 meters from shore and follow it down to 25. Although there are points of interest below 18 metres, the majority of the dive is shallower and therefore divers with an Open Water Certification are welcome to join this trip. The sandy bottom is flat for the first 30 metres at a depth of around 4-7 metres before it starts sloping away to 40 meter and beyond.
There are 3 main areas to explore on this site. The shallow part has various man made reef composed of old tires, pieces of ceramics and wires scattered around in small clusters, as well as two wire mesh constructions with concrete slabs underneath. Stone Fish are commonly sited hidden within the ceramic structures along with Scorpion Fish.
Moray Eels have made the stack of wood and tires their home; two large Honeycomb Morays resided on that spot at our last visit. Small anemones have found their homes in patches of sand in between the structures and there are Porcelain Crabs and various different kinds of shrimps within them.
If the buoy line is used to descend then you will come across a large mass of tires at around 25 metres below sea level, stockpiled together with no real visible design. I have never seen so many Lionfish in one single area. The first time we went there I counted 17. On top of the mound of tires sits a yellow Leaf Scorpion Fish. We have also spotted Octopus (the last time attacking small fish with its tentacles) and Cuttlefish in and around the area. There is a large log very close by with a resident black Ornate Ghost Pipefish on a small black Feather Star, and it has been seen there on every dive we have been on.
The real gem of this dive site is in the middle of nowhere. Depending on where you start the dive you either scale up or down the slope to a small piece of wire mesh and a couple of poles at a depth within the limits of Open Water divers. The area is no bigger than a shoe box and has various feather stars attached, one of which is home to a family of Ornate Ghost Pipefish. The first time we visited this spot, there were 3, and on our last dive there were four, 3 black and one white. As if that wasn’t enough, there is a Robust Ghost Pipefish which has been seen there on every dive so far in various locations floating within the mesh. Cleaner Shrimps hide within the compound, and on one dive I saw a Juvenile Lionfish about as long as my thumbnail on one of the strips of wire.
Although it may seem like there is nothing to look at between the areas of interest, it still pays to keep your eyes out. Flying Gurnards have been spotted, their wings spread camouflaged against the sand, running across the sea bed once discovered. Never before have I seen so many Blue Spotted Stingrays swimming around at any one time. They set off like mines in a minefield, once one is discovered they all start emerging from hiding under the base layer of silt on the sea bed. The last dive I actually lost count with easily 15. Cuttlefish are masters of disguise and hide themselves in the sandy base adapting their colour to blend in.
For anyone who is interested in Macro diving, photography or the lesser spotted critters of the sea, then a trip to Amed is a must. The last customers we took there on a 2 dive day trip ended up taking both dives on this Macro site! The first dive was 75 minutes long and that was not enough time to explore… If Macro dives are not your thing, there are plenty of other sites in the area, artificial reef pyramids, beautiful coral landscapes, big deep vertical walls and small shallow wrecks, so there is something for everyone.
Dive trips to Amed are currently running on request. The price is only 70 Euros for a 3 dive package and I recommend that you do at least one dive at this location.
Contact us today to book your Amed Day trip and explore this amazing Macro dive site.
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Great pictures! You wouldn’t realise that some of this has been man made from things such as concrete and wire mesh!
Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!