Dive sites Alor

A day-trip diving on Alor is choosing from an exceptional diversity under water. For beginners there are some relatively simple dives to do. Experienced divers decide beforehand together where they are going to dive. Alor has very beautiful and very tough dive sites. You must factor in strong currents, some much colder dive spots (22 degrees) and special encounters under water.

Diving in Alor is a breathtaking experience. Alor is not for nothing listed among the most stunning diving areas of Indonesia. Everything a diver dreams of is here. From whales to nudibranches and everything in between. Cristal-clear water with visibility up to 40m or more, spectacular colourful coral reefs, magnificent walls, an incredible amount and diversity of fish life and challenging, often unpredictable currents
Level: experienced diver
Visibility: up to 40m (or more)
Water temperature: from 26 to 29°C with thermoclines of 20°C or even 18°C.
Currents: often strong and unpredictable
Diving season: From end of March until mid December

Kal’s Dream is a seamount between the islands Kepa and Pura. The top of the mountain is just at 5m. Currents can be very strong en even go wild, so diving on Kal’s Dream is not always possible. But if the diving conditions are good and you are an experienced diver, this famous dive spot is a must. The site is called after Kal Muller, a diving pioneer, who was the first to dive here in the early nineties. There are two pinnacles. If diving conditions are good you start your dive around the deeper pinnacle, follow a part of the spur that goes out to a corner where many fish gather and then to the other pinnacle where you finish your dive. The pinnacles are beautifully covered with low corals, because of the currents.
You can see a lot of sea life here. Spanish mackerel, different species of sharks, dogtooth tuna, Napoleons, sweetlips, big barracudas, giant trevallies, hunting blue fin trevally, schools of jacks, triggerfish, fusiliers, surgeonfish and of course the critter life in the crevices between the rocks, moray eels, scorpionfish, nudies, shrimps…

A fantastic dive spot on the east coast of Pura. A drift dive with the south current on a sloping reef with ledges, drop-offs, healthy colourful corals and a lot of fish life. The reef starts at about 8m and slopes to 15m, with large boulder formations. Then further down to 25-30m it’s not unusual to see dolphin pods and pelagics passing. Then slowly up again. From 30 to 12m lots of hard and soft corals and many, many fish. From 12m and upwards you see soft corals with hard coral bommies and formations. Parrotfish, sweetlips, angelfish, damselfish, Napoleon wrasse, schools of jacks, butterfly fish, red toothed triggerfish and sea snakes, lobster, lionfish, an incredible amount of boxfish and schools of anthias (especially above a beautiful staghorn field at around 7m). You’ll also see barrels, brain coral, branching coral, anemones and soft coral clusters.
When the current is strong enough it’s possible to go round the tip of the island. If you do so you must stay very close to the reef and stay above 7m. If you are too deep the currents will push you away from the island and getting back could be a very tough job.
In short, a very varied dive site with an abundance of fish, many different types of healthy coral and a good chance to see pelagics.

A few hundred meters from the village Apura lies Clown Valley. You immediately understand why this dive spot was named so. Here you simply see the highest concentration of sea anemones in the world and of course, a lot of clown fish that hide between their swinging tentacles. Here and there a sea apple and you’ll also see sea-eels, sea snakes and pufferfish. With a lot of luck, sometimes even tresher sharks or a mola mola. On your way up you’ll often be greeted by local children diving without fins, wearing handcarved wooden goggles and holding their breath for an incredibly long time…