There are many incredible dive sites all over the world, some, like Alor are not very well known. Prior to diving in Alor in August 2017, neither of us had even heard of Alor. We must thank Indonesia Tourism for providing myself (Olly) the chance to dive this gem of an island. For those wondering, Alor is a quiet island. By quiet, we mean that during our travels we did not see any other tourists which I have to say is pretty amazing to experience these days right? There is one town however on the north-western side of the island called Kalabahi.
// Getting to Alor //
Alor is the largest island in the Alor Archipelago. It is certainly not the easiest destination to reach, but with some planning ahead it is certainly possible (and well advised) to add to your itinerary. Normally there are a couple of flights arriving each day from Kupang Airport to Alor Airport. Alternatively, it is also possible to get a ferry from Sorong, West Timor.
// Best Time to Dive in Alor //
King Donovan, otherwise known as other dive one do the most renowned instructors in the area would say that the best time to dive in Alor is from March to December. Between these months is the dry season, however it is possible however to dive year round. If we were to return to Alor, we would try to go during September seeing as there are chances of seeing the elusive Mola Mola (Sunfish). Donovan said the coolest thing he had ever seen was a pod of Killer Whales (or Orcas) swimming past!
// Water Temperature in Alor //
Generally diving anywhere in Indonesia is a treat temperature wise as apposed to diving in Sydney! The water temperature averages around 27° to 28° degrees Celsius, with a low of 25° and a high of 32°. Most people would choose to dive with a 3mm wetsuit, but myself (Olly) just goes diving in board shorts!
// Alor Diving Review //
Visibility in Alor is phenomenal! For us it was 25-30 metres but Donovan said sometimes it can get up to 50 meters.. which is absolutely indredible! The amazing visibility really gave us something to work with when freediving as well. I will post some of my freediving shots below! Currents in Indonesia can be quite strong sometimes. It’s always good to be with a knowledgeable dive instructor or other experienced divers. We had to change a few dive sites on the day due to currents, normally they are relatively mild but that can change quickly. For example; We jumped in for a freedive shoot before our first dive and within 2 minutes the current changed and two of us got pushed away from the boat one of them being me! It’s possible to see whirlpools on the surface as well which I thought was pretty wicked when we drove past a decent sized one.
// Best dive sites in Alor //
1. Babylon
This was our first dive during our time in Alor. Seeing as we were quiet a large group and had not dived together before, it was important to begin at an easy dive site to see what level the divers are at. As soon as we jumped in the water we were treated to some traditional Bubu fisherman of Alor. Here we watched as the local men deployed a fish trap made from bamboo. Using goggles carved from wood which are made to fit your face perfectly one of the men showed us his incredible free diving talents to put the trap into place. Anyway, back to the Babylon dive site. The drop off went down to about 28 meters, covered with beautiful corals. Visibility was about 30 meters so the whole reef could be seen. I got a few nice photos of some juvenile lion fish which I will put up below.
2. Mike’s Delight
This was my second favourite dive site all up because I saw 5 SEA SNAKES including a baby! And for someone who had never seen one before it was definitely an amazing experience considering these banded sea krait snakes are highly venomous! Although don’t fret they will never bite you unless provoked. The dive site, Mike’s Delight, was very colourful, with other bright coloured animals such as lobsters, box fish, moray eels and huge schools of fish!
3. The Aquarium
The Aquarium is rich in marine life and visibility is exceptional. It is not surprising how it got the name Aquarium. As you descend from the drop off, watch as stingrays swim past you. From there, just relax, enjoy and let the current take you back – an effortless dive!
4. Clown Valley
Clown Valley was my pick of the dive sites. I think this was the case for most of the others also! It would definitely be in my top 10 dives to date. This site has the highest concentration of sea anemone in the world therefore if you are a fan of Finding Nemo then you will love this site as there are thousands of clown fish. Not only that, but an array of other sea life too such as big puffer fish, sea snakes and even a Sea Apple! (see photo!) After the dive some local primary school children joined us. Their free diving skills were inspirational, in particular their homemade wooden goggles.
5. Schools Out
This dive site start out with a sandy slope but as you dive deeper you drift into a reef wall. With crazy amounts of fish, this spot is spectacular. The site goes down to 30 meters but if you stay a little shallower (20 to 25 meters) you are much more likely to run into a couple of black tip reef sharks, which I did! As well as an octopus and some nudibranches.
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