Last weekend brought a small windfall for the porters working at Tulamben Beach in Karangasem, Bali, as the area saw a surge of foreign tourists arriving to dive its famous waters.
As cars carrying foreign divers pull in, the porters move quickly to meet them, ready to carry diving gear down to the shoreline, oxygen tanks, wetsuits, and everything else divers need for a day underwater. There’s no scrambling or competition involved; each porter already works with a specific dive company they’re partnered with.
Riding the High Season Wave
This summer has brought a steady stream of tourists to Tulamben Beach, drawn by its renowned underwater scenery. For the people who make their living around the beach, including its porters, high season is exactly the kind of period that makes the work worthwhile.
“When there are a lot of tourists, we earn more. When it’s quiet, we only get a little,” said Ni Kadek Mustini, one of the beach’s porters, speaking at Tulamben Beach on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
There are four porter groups working at Tulamben Beach, made up mostly of women. They work wearing long-sleeved blue shirts marked “Tulamben Porter.”
What the Work Actually Pays
Mustini explained that during busy periods, porters at Tulamben can earn around Rp 105,000 in a single day. On especially busy days, that figure can climb as high as Rp 225,000.
But the picture looks very different when the beach is quiet. On slow days, porters might only take home Rp 30,000, since their pay is calculated per trip, just Rp 15,000 for each load of diving equipment carried.
The Ups and Downs of the Job
Fellow porter Ni Nengah Jesani shared her own perspective on the highs and lows of the work. The good days are obvious, busier beaches mean more income. But the flip side hits hard when Tulamben goes quiet, since Jesani and other porters can end up with no income at all if the dive companies they work with don’t get any customers.
“When we earn very little, or sometimes nothing at all, we can only accept it,” Jesani said.
Jesani, Mustini, and the other porters typically start their day early at Tulamben Beach. Before tourists even arrive, they spend time cleaning up litter around the shoreline, then work through the day until heading home in the late afternoon.
“I hope tourists keep coming to Tulamben Beach, this is our only source of income,” Jesani said, with clear hope in her voice.
The Village’s Perspective
Tulamben Village Head I Nyoman Pica shares that same hope, particularly during high season, given how many local livelihoods depend on tourist visits, from dive guides and drivers to porters and vendors around the beach.
According to Pica, tourist numbers typically pick up mid-year, then quiet down again once the rainy season arrives.
“Right now it’s busy because it’s high season and the weather is cooperating, so tourists feel comfortable diving,” Pica said.
Weather isn’t the only factor, though, ocean conditions at Tulamben directly affect visitor numbers as well. About two weeks ago, for example, tourist arrivals dropped noticeably due to murky water and unusually large waves.
“Tourist visits depend heavily on conditions out at sea, so it’s not always busy every single day, even during high season,” Pica said.
Why This Matters for Divers Planning a Trip
If you’re planning a diving trip to Tulamben, it’s worth keeping in mind that the local economy around the beach, porters included, runs almost entirely on tourist visits. A small tip or fair payment for gear-carrying services goes a long way for the people who help make your dive experience run smoothly, especially during quieter stretches of the season.
