Alor
April to November | Alor to Alor
7 or 9 nights | Kal’s Dream, The Cathedral, Babylon, Sharks Galore, School’s Out
Itinerary Highlights
Revel in stunning pelagic encounters and explore the hidden treasures within Alor’s hundreds of bays and coves where rare and elusive critters await you
- Awe-inspiring encounters with dolphins and whales, various sharks and the shy mola mola.
- Stunning virgin reefs with glorious coral formations fed by the currents.
- World-class macro diving and muck diving in Kalabahi Bay
- Dramatic volcanic landscapes and fascinating land visits
Itinerary Description
The East Nusa Tenggara archipelago is an area difficult to reach other than from a liveaboard and offers the chance to explore one of the last diving frontiers in Indonesia.
On the Alor trip, diving takes you to another dimension and anything can be expected as the ever-present currents bring incredible fish action with a world-class array of marine life from big to small.
Your day might start by diving a cleaning station frequented by mola mola and thresher sharks, continue on a seamount surrounded by trevallies and barracuda tornadoes and end with an incredible night dive trying to spot the elusive Rhinopias.
Sighting of whales and pods of dolphins are frequent and there will be plentiful encounters with sharks in a region that continually amazes.
But it is not only the marine life that entertains. You could meet freediving local children – who use goggles that are handmade with wood and glass bottles – see spectacular landscapes and explore villages that have kept strong their culture and traditional way of life.
The diving is amazing but a trip here about more than that. It is a life experience that will leave unforgettable memories.
Dive Sites
Click dive site markers for detailed descriptions.
Your holiday will be different to any other. We tailor our trips individually according to weather conditions, sightings and seasons.
Here is a sample of the sites we might visit.
Specific dive sites and areas we may visit are not guaranteed. They are at the discretion of our cruise director/captain, based on weather conditions, to ensure we provide the best possible sightings and prioritise your safety.
Kalabahi Port
Kal's Dream
Kal's Dream is a vibrant sea mount dive site known for its colourful corals and swarming anthias. This pinnacle can be subject to strong currents but also provides excellent - indeed some of the best - chances to see larger pelagics including barracudas, sharks, and rays?.
Clown Valley
Clown Valley, also known as Apuri or Anemone Valley, is an incredible area considered to have the highest concentration of anemones in the world and provides shelter to countless clownfish. The vibrant colours and bustling marine life make it a diver's paradise.
The Cathedral
The Cathedral is a spectacular dive site characterised by its impressive underwater rock formations resembling a cathedral. Divers can explore its dramatic walls and caves, often encountering a variety of reef fish and vibrant corals?. Another good spot for pelagics, it has a swim through in the deeper parts.
Great Wall of Pantar
The Great Wall of Pantar, also known as Bama Wall, offers a stunning vertical drop teeming with marine life. It's perfect for spotting schooling fish, nudibranchs, and occasionally, larger pelagics like sharks and rays?. Great for both macro and potential pelagics.
Babylon
Biatabang, also called Babylon, is renowned for its rich biodiversity. The site features a reef wall dropping to 28 metres, bustling with numerous species of reef fish and colourful corals, providing excellent photo opportunities??. There is a nice wall with some sandy ledges and divers are sometimes able to see bubu (local fish traps), lots of schooling fish and soft corals.
Mike's Delight
Mike's Delight is a slow drift dive site reaching a depth of 25 metrrs. Divers can spot sea snakes, lobsters, lionfish, and an abundance of reef fish, making it a delightful underwater experience?. It has a rugged slope with large boulders and sometimes extreme currents - great for pelagics.
Current Alley
Can have powerful currents but one of the better places to have chance of hammerheads. Current Alley offers an exhilarating drift diving experience. Divers can also encounter a variety of marine life, including reef.
Sharks Galore
Sharks Galore is aptly named. It’s a more relaxed drift dive with a good chance for shark spotting as there is a high population of reef sharks.
Wolang Cavern
This is a fascinating cave dive site featuring stunning underwater formations. Divers can explore its intricate caverns and tunnels, home to various fish and flora?. Lots of crabs, nudies and other macro on walls, amazing soft coral and possibility to see marble ray and nurse sharks.
Andy's Bus Stop
A great wall dive where it is possible to see both macro and passing pelagics. Andy's Bus Stop is a quirky dive site featuring an underwater bus wreck. It attracts diverse marine life, including schools of fish, octopus, and occasionally reef sharks. A really interesting and memorable dive.
Mucky Mosque
It is known for its muck diving opportunities (hence the name). There is whole world of macro life here such Rhinopias, ghost pipefish, frogfish, seahorses, nudibranchs, and other small critters that thrive in the sandy and silty environment? Generally a photographers dream!.
Beang Abang
A great muck/macro dive with endless possibilities for rare encounters, Beang Abang is famous for its unusual and fascinating marine life. The dive site is great for spotting rare creatures like the wonderpus, ghost pipefish, and various nudibranchs.
School's Out
This is without doubt a unique dive! It’s a nice reef dive with potential shark sightings and good for octopus - and children! Sometimes free diving kids from the nearby school join the fun and greet divers. The site features a gentle slope to 30 metres, with vibrant soft corals and numerous reef fish as well as the sharks and octopus?.
Pink Forest
A good muck spot in Kalabahi Bay. It is named for its beautiful pink corals that create a magical underwater landscape and are teeming with marine life. It is a truly memorable and visually stunning dive site?.
Also Important
Check Dive & Depart Alor
Once onboard there will be a safety briefing, crew introduction, complete and check dive paperwork, cabin allocation and boat orientation. The first dive is a check dive.
Return to Alor
On the last diving day, 2 dives are available in the morning whilst observing the rule of no diving within 24 hours of reaching altitude. We return to port and moor overnight. Evening is time to pack up diving equipment and settle any outstanding bills ready to depart the following morning.
Itinerary Experience
Advanced, 50 dives
This itinerary is not for beginners with many dives below 18m and currents can vary from medium to extremely strong. We recommend that you have 50 logged dives and require that you are a Deep Diver/Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent to join this trip. Divers may find many dives challenging and may be asked by the Cruise Director to skip dives that are not suitable for their diving experience. Diving is from zodiacs to give precise entry and exit points.