Diving in Alor – Trip Report Review
This is a special trip report and review about scuba diving on Alor Island at East Nusa Tenggara. In late August 2017, I was part of a group on a dive trip around the eastern part of Indonesia, and Alor Island was one of the dive destinations we visited.
Alor Diving Trip Report Review
The scuba divers group for the Alor dive in August 2017. |
First and foremost, many of you may need to learn where Alor Island is, so here is a rough idea. You can also see it on the map below.
Alor Island is part of East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur or NTT in Bahasa Indonesia), which belongs to the Alor Archipelago and is located just next to Flores Island (Labuan Bajo and Komodo).
Alor Island’s only airport is called Bandar Udara Mali-Alor. |
Only one airport is serviced by the local Indonesian airlines, and flights here are a couple of times a day.
Sadly, this is the best way to get to Alor, as other alternatives include taking a fast boat from Sorong, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara, on West Timor.
Alor Island is also recommended for experienced divers or those with advanced open-water certification levels. I am serious; though it looks harmless, you should read it below.
Donovan Withford from Dive Alor Dive briefing us for the 1st dive. Nick, Shelley, and Jackson on the right. |
Dive Operators in Alor
Dive Alor Dive was our operator and was run by Mr Donovan Whitford, who originally hails from Australia spending most of his diving career in Indonesia.
Donovan says, “They come and go; at the end of the day, it’s how you manage your business, keeping costs low, and many new operators do not see this.”
Many need to understand the dive economics of operating a business, the high cost involved, and so on; hence, Donovan is one of the smart operators.
Scuba Diving in Alor with fantastic visibility. |
Best Time to Dive in Alor
The best time is also from October to November for those wanting a sure thing.
Some even say that chances to spot the unique Mola Mola or Sunfish are also good in September, and if you are lucky enough, you can spot an Orca or Killer Whale passing by.
Scuba diving in Alor Island. Marischka Prudence in frame. |
Water Temperature in Alor
From May till September, it can get up to 31° or 32° Celsius, depending on the monsoon.
At some sites, as you go much deeper, the temperature can change drastically and drop to as low as 21° Celsius.
I wish I had brought my O’Neill shorties along.
There was fantastic visibility while diving at Alor Island. |
Underwater Visibility at Alor Island
One of the main selling points of diving in Alor is the incredible visibility found at almost all dive sites.
On a perfect day, you can get up to 40 or even 50 meters of visibility, but on average, we are looking at around 25-30 meters of visibility. Isn’t that amazing?
The visibility can change mid-dive due to the sudden current changes, but overall, if you are an underwater photographer, Alor is one of the fantastic places for landscape shots.
Thanks to the rich marine and coral life, you can only imagine a free diver doing his or her thing with beautiful colours and excellent visibility.
The strong currents are seen along the Alor Straits. |
Currents in Alor
A traditional Bubu fish trap is seen at the Babylon dive site on Alor Island. |
Popular Dive Sites in Alor
However, we only managed to dive at five of them, which Donovan claimed were some of the best. The most famous dive sites at Alor Island are The Cathedral and Kal’s Dream, but due to strong currents, we had to forgo both dive sites for safety reasons.
- Babylon – Easy and interesting dive by Ternate Island.
- Mike’s Delight – Located by Pura Island and mild currents.
- Aquarium – The name says it all. It is located opposite Ternate Island on the main Alor Island.
- Clown Valley is my favourite dive site in Alor. One word – Amazing!
- School’s Out – One of the best drift dives, located on Pura Island.
A beautiful Sea Apple among the corals at Alor Island. |
What to See While Diving in Alor
These are the local Alornese people who free dive and set their fish traps underwater at incredible depths.
The entire place is gazetted as the Alor Marine Park, and you can be sure that no illegal fishing techniques are practised here.
Part of the sea anemone is seen at the Clown Valley dive site on Alor Island. |
As for muck divers or macro divers, Alor is well known for this, and for those who enjoy anemones, just request the Clown Valley dive site, which is touted to be the largest sea anemone concentration in the world.
One of the unique corals to look out for is the Sea Apples, which are bright and stand out from the usual corals. I must have seen about four to five of them while diving at Alor Island.
The traditional Bubu fishermen of Alor Island. |
We travelled with 9 other divers from Bali to Alor, then to Komodo Island and Raja Ampat for some of the best scuba diving in east Indonesia.
Follow me for more articles on scuba diving in Indonesia, as I will publish my other dive trip reports here.
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