Alor Exploration

[Dan]

Next time poke the guy with the pointer.

 

[Cali_diver]

Next time poke the guy with the pointer.

Ha, luckily I didn't have to scold, the dive guide did on the boat after the dive. He was really apologetic, he just got a bit excited.

 

[Cali_diver]

Just back from a back to back trip of Komodo then Alor.

Komodo was a mad house... no wonder people are looking for alternatives. We had over 40+ divers on Batu Bolong each time we tried to dive it. Crazy... the day boats just kept dropping divers. Same for Shot Gun. Boat after boat dropped divers. I stopped counting there were so many. then everyone hooked in at the top and I saw divers fighting for pictures of the mantas. Crazy!!! Komodo (at least central/north) is no longer the top of my list. Southern was great since most liveaboards try to work together coordinating dive times etc.

Alor as usual was amazing. We probably did more than 50% wide angle dives and saw Hammerheads, mola molas, and thresher sharks. Dolphins and Pilot Whales on the surface almost everyday. Best of all no other divers on any site!! I finally got my hairy octopus and and free swimming hunting female yellow ribbon eel. The currents and water temps were tricky in both places.

 

[dirtfarmer]

That's why I like Komodo in the slow season! Last year in January there was very rarely other divers on the same site as us.

Congrats on the Hairy Octopus they are sooooo cute!

 

[Cali_diver]

That's why I like Komodo in the slow season! Last year in January there was very rarely other divers on the same site as us.

Congrats on the Hairy Octopus they are sooooo cute!

Well I think the only way I would go back to Komodo is if it was in the off season, but that being said I have been told over and over that the viz is crappy and the north can be almost un-diveable during the off season. We did have over 25+ mantas at manta alley in the south but not sure if Mantas are still there during the off season.

 

[dirtfarmer]

There were Manta's at manta point last Jan just not loads. During my first Nov trip we had about 30+ at Manta Alley, it was really cool as at the end of the dive we were hanging around in the alley itself and they were all around, within inches, I got flapped in the head. Epic dive! My second trip there in Nov there were about 10-15 unfortunately the Swedish group of divers were really good at scaring them off so they were kinda shy. Once the swedes got out of the water the Manta's returned and we're chasing a female in a long train.

Last Jan the vis in the central part was ok, 15-20 meters, the south was a bit lower even though that is soposed to be the time of year when it improves. The one day we went North the vis at shotgun was awesome at 25 meters, and we even saw a dugong on the dive.

 

[Dan]

Just back from a back to back trip of Komodo then Alor.

Komodo was a mad house... no wonder people are looking for alternatives. We had over 40+ divers on Batu Bolong each time we tried to dive it. Crazy... the day boats just kept dropping divers. Same for Shot Gun. Boat after boat dropped divers. I stopped counting there were so many. then everyone hooked in at the top and I saw divers fighting for pictures of the mantas. Crazy!!! Komodo (at least central/north) is no longer the top of my list. Southern was great since most liveaboards try to work together coordinating dive times etc.

Alor as usual was amazing. We probably did more than 50% wide angle dives and saw Hammerheads, mola molas, and thresher sharks. Dolphins and Pilot Whales on the surface almost everyday. Best of all no other divers on any site!! I finally got my hairy octopus and and free swimming hunting female yellow ribbon eel. The currents and water temps were tricky in both places.

Welcome back!

Congratulations! I want to see the thresher sharks & hairy octopus too. I went to Maratua Atoll in East Kalimantan for the thresher shark, but no such luck. So I should go back to Alor. Did you see things as shown in the video, below? I'm thinking of going from Maumere to Ambon after seeing the video.

 

[jcclink]

Alor has a new dive resort located on the SW coast of the bay. I will check it out in Oct. I had good luck with macro there on a LOB in 2014. Best macro site are still Lembeh & Ambon. Bali is also very good (& under-rated).

Welcome - Alami Alor Dive Resort

 

[Dan]

Alami Alor Dive Resort looks nice.

 

[Luko]

Just back from a back to back trip of Komodo then Alor.

Komodo was a mad house... no wonder people are looking for alternatives. We had over 40+ divers on Batu Bolong each time we tried to dive it. Crazy... the day boats just kept dropping divers. Same for Shot Gun. Boat after boat dropped divers. I stopped counting there were so many. then everyone hooked in at the top and I saw divers fighting for pictures of the mantas. Crazy!!! Komodo (at least central/north) is no longer the top of my list. Southern was great since most liveaboards try to work together coordinating dive times etc.

Alor as usual was amazing. We probably did more than 50% wide angle dives and saw Hammerheads, mola molas, and thresher sharks. Dolphins and Pilot Whales on the surface almost everyday. Best of all no other divers on any site!! I finally got my hairy octopus and and free swimming hunting female yellow ribbon eel. The currents and water temps were tricky in both places.

Yeah, similar thoughts on Komodo, too many "one day diving" fundivers, loads of cheapo dive operations, Labuan Bajo now looks like a sort of Koh Phiphi with restaurants aligned aganst hole in the wall dive shops, two months experienced gringo dive guides. I think if I had to return, it will be the italian resort on Sebayur or nothing else.

I suppose the hammerheads in Alor you've seen were with Alor divers/ Gilles. for the first tiime in 4 years I am not going, I already miss Alor! I guess threshers and Molamola were also on current alley?.