WE PICKED AMED SIGHT UNSEEN—TELL ME that Coconuts Bali’s description wouldn’t lure you in. Yet another gem that’s perfect for getting away from the crowd, Amed is a coastal region with beach-lined coves! The Amed shores are dotted with small fishing villages and dozens of boutique resorts too. Keeping with the laid-back vibe of the beach, the resorts blend into the surrounding areas.
The Road from Pemuteran to Amed
Bali Dream House is a tumble of hillside cottages on the southern part of Amed between the sea and the busy road. The cottages are fine, the pool is sparkly blue and the full moon shining on the calm sea was enchanting. I had considered booking a fishing trip but five hours in an outrigger canoe combined with a 4:30 AM departure made me reconsider.
You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
Shoving off, Amed Snorkeling
The "Japanese Wreck"
So snorkeling it was. The morning trip had already left and our only option was a private dive. After picking out our mask and fins we climbed aboard the tiniest outrigger canoe I’ve ever seen for the 20-minute ride to the “Japanese Wreck.” The wreck’s provenance is uncertain—it possibly carried Japanese troops in WWII—but it had the courtesy to sink just off the beach in 25 feet of water, making it accessible for both snorkelers and divers.
Bleached Coral, Coral Garden, Amed
Moorish Idol and Oriental Sweetlips add some color
Purple Starfish
The conditions were perfect, bathtub warm and gin clear water. The coral, like much in Indonesia, was dead or dying and mostly colorless but the dozens of kinds of fish and a chubby purple starfish made up for it. Swimming against the current put a strain on leg muscles unaccustomed to kicking in fins and climbing back into the canoe nearly finished us off. (Since I don't have an underwater camera, all dive photos are courtesy of the internet. But we actually saw them!)
Amed Moonrise
Having “done” Amed we decided to check out a day early. On the way back from a surprisingly good meal at the Chinese restaurant we stopped to watch the full-moon rise from the sea. Maybe there is more to Amed than diving after all.
