Alor Diving is amongst the best in the world. It is what brings most visitors to Alor, and that is very understandable. The waters have excellent visibility, healthy reefs, countless schools of fishes, a lot of pelagic wildlife, and best of all, no other divers. It’s kind of like diving in Komodo some 15 years ago. Alor is also a center for macro-lovers.
Content of this article:
Diving organization at La ptite Kepa
Alor diving is best done with one of the three dive operators. We dived Alor with La Ptite Kepa which was thoroughly organized. During our stay, they held two dives in the morning with all the guests joining on a large, comfortable boat. We reached the majority of the dives after a 10-45 minute boat ride. Most of the guests were very experienced in diving (mostly dive-masters and folks with more than 2000 dives), and so the briefing and guidance were relaxed. Nonetheless, if you are new to diving, you’ll likely feel less comfortable. The diving guides were all at the instructor level. They are French, very professional and friendly.
My friend rented her diving equipment and was quite satisfied with the quality of their gear.
It is worthy of note that the water in Alor can get really cold (it was as low as 19 degrees in some channels), and so it is wise that you take your extra-thick wetsuit if you have one.
Alor diving: Best dive sites
Alor diving has a plethora of dive sites. The choice of the dive site was done by the divemaster depending on the weather and the currents who can be ferocious when diving in Alor.
A trip to Babylon
We visited Babylon, a unique diving spot in Alor. It’s a fascinating spot with insane visibility, beautiful bright colors and a wide range of marine life. It’s the ideal place to admire various tiny rare animals.
It features a shallow reef wall dropping off about 28 meters, and most of the activities in this region take place between 15 to 25 meters. The fish and coral life in Babylon is baffling; it offers lots of opportunities to take fascinating pictures using cameras with macro or broad-angle lenses. The exciting features in this site can make you get lost in time; you will spend hours without even noticing.
Clown Valley
This amazing dive site is famous for having the highest amount of sea anemones worldwide. Unsurprisingly, this valley also features numerous clownfishes seeking refuge in the brightly colored, soft coral swaying tentacles.
Aquarium
This is one of the most stunning visually dive sites in Alor. The number of fish in this site is similar to that of Babylon, but the water clarity and coral color make this spot more outstanding. The drop off of this dive site is about 30 meters.
Mike’s Delight
Another stunning in Alor to visit is Mike’s delight. It is a slow rift dive – current dependent– that reaches a maximum of 25 meters. We were opportune to see lobsters, lionfish, sea snakes, numerous boxfish and tons of reef fish. Make sure you go along with your camera to capture the wonderful underwater environment.
The Edge
I am pretty sure I will never forget this dive site; this was the first time I went diving in the Pantar Strait. This dive site is located Northeast of Ternate Island. The edge begins with a mild slope filled with tons of soft corals reaching 10 meters; however, the coral concentration reduces the more you go down. The current here is tough and unpredictable; thus, the average size of each coral is small, but they come in unimaginable varieties and densities.
The steep wall appears to be endless, and as you are reminded by the dive computer that it’s time to return to the surface, you feel satisfied knowing you got to witness the site’s amazing underwater environment.
The dive-masters are very familiar with the region and were timing the dive sites based on the tides. Thus, we stayed out of strong currents and didn’t need to use reef hooks as we did in Komodo.
On the whole, the vibe underwater was awesome, but it was also great on the surface, and I highly recommend Alor diving with La Ptite Kepa and hope to get back there soon with a larger group. For more information on La Ptite Kepa accommodation and Alor, click here
Happy diving!
If you like diving, check out my diving guide of the best destinations, many of which are in Indonesia and easily accessible from Alor ( Komodo, Maumere, East Timor). Don’t miss the cave diving on the stop-over in Kupang on your way to Alor. There are also interesting villages and tribes within a few hours drive from Kupang
Pictures by Christ Twice and Julie
Have you ever experienced Alor? I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a comment, tips or review below.
Did you say clear water and no other divers in one sentence? Wow. It’s really rare to find such! I might as well grab the opportunity and go for some diving before the whole world wakes up and crowd the spot like the other ones I’ve been diving.
Wow! Are the dive masters always available for everyone? I would really do well with their experience while diving. The last place I went for a dive, everyone was on their own and we had to figure out a lot by ourselves. It was somehow scary because some novice couldn’t understand much about the tides and a lot of us spent more time teaching and helping instead of actually enjoying the dive.
Yay!!! Mike’s delight is that stunning place you’ll like. It’s a slow rift dive and that is exactly why I like it. There are a lot of sea animals to see and the environment is just amazing. You’ll definitely enjoy it.
Oh wow. This is great. I don’t think I have had an opportunity to see lobsters, lionfish, sea snakes etc while diving. Maybe because I do go to a place without a very clear water or something! But this places in Alor sure inspires me to come around.