Bali's volcanic east coast — black sand, USS Liberty wreck, and zero crowds
Amed is a string of seven fishing villages along Bali's northeast coast, framed by the volcanic silhouette of Gunung Agung. The black sand beaches lined with colourful jukung outrigger fishing boats are among Bali's most photogenic scenes, and the diving is exceptional: the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben is one of the world's most accessible shore dives. Two hours from Seminyak, the area remains genuinely quieter than Bali's southern coast.
Amed's villages were traditional salt-farming communities for centuries, producing salt by solar evaporation — a practice still visible in the Amed and Aas areas today. The USS Liberty arrived when a Japanese torpedo damaged the cargo ship in 1942 — it was beached at Tulamben and fell fully underwater after the 1963 Gunung Agung eruption shifted the shore. The wreck was discovered by divers in the 1970s.