Alor...in Dec?

[phil_g]

Hello Everyone,

I'm thinking about booking a trip Alor (looking at Alor Divers) in mid December for 2 weeks. However, from what I can tell Dec. might not be the ideal time of year for Alor.

Can anyone who may have dived Alor in December send me feedback on the weather and diving conditions at this time of year? Of if you've not dived Alor in Dec. but have knowledge of the weather/conditions, please let me know.

Thanks so much in advance!!

-Phil

 

[mantajohn]

i dived Alor Nov 09. Conditions were wonderful. Water state calm. Temp 28C. Dropped to 19C on one dive. Took 5mm wetsuit which was too much. I guess Dec conditions would be fairly similar. Wonderful diving - i would strongly recommend it.

 

[phil_g]

Thanks Mantajohn, I definitely want to go...just some concerns on the weather. I did see a couple other posts saying that Nov was good but avoid Dec to Mar...

Thanks again for the feedback and glad to hear that at least Nov is nice!

-Phil

 

[Andy_from_Germany]

Hi Phil,

i just checked my logbooks: During my stays on Alor end of November till begin of December I always had good weather and sea conditions. As far as I remember Thomas, the owner of ALOR DIVE (alor- dive.com), told me that the weather usually gets worse towards end of December but before Christmas should be fine.

As you're planing to travel in a ""unpredictable"" time (weather-wise) I suggest you allow at least 3 days for your travel from Alor back to Bali as flights between Alor and Kupang might get cancelled due to bad weather on short notice. As well please remember that it's a boat trip from Pantar (base of Alor Divers) to Alor where the airport is located!

Have fun on Alor, you won't regret it!

Andy

[EDIT]Take a 5mm long wetsuit with you, water temperatures are around 26 Celsius and more but it still gets cold after a while.[/EDIT]

 

[phil_g]

Thank you Andy, much appreciated!

 

[phil_g]

Manta/Andy, have you guys also dived Raja Ampat as well?

I dived for 2 weeks in RA this past December, and just wondering how you think Alor compares so I have some perspective...

Thanks again,
Phil

 

[Andy_from_Germany]

Hi Phil,

no worries ;-)
Unfortunately I haven't dived in Raja Ampat yet and therefore can't help you with it.

When it comes to Indonesia I could help with Lombok (Gilis) and Flores (Labuan Bajo).

Just one addition to my previous post in case "...allow at least 3 days for your travel from Alor back to Bali..." sounds too pessimistic:
Depending on the day of travel you need to stay one night in Kupang on each way between Bali and Alor. In order not to have to worry too much about international flights from Bali back home I always plan a few days more on my return trip and spend the last night(s) on Bali. Better spending money on a hotel twice (on Bali and on the way to Bali) than missing the international flight. This applies to all destinations in Indonesia that are East of Bali (apart of Lombok, they have an international airport and if this is closed Bali has problems, too ;-) )!

Andy

 

[mantajohn]

i agree with Andy re staying over in Bali each way. i stayed at Mercure Sanur. Much nicer than i was expecting.

Which airline are you using? Malaysian's website lets you book different fare rules for each segment to/from Bali. i booked the cheapest rate out, but a flexible rate back. it was only around £50 extra - but was an insurance against getting delayed on the flights back into Bali on the way home.

Alas, i haven't dived RA, but a buddy was on an RA trip whilst i was in Alor. Sounded pretty similar for the small stuff (ie amazing), but RA seemed to have big stuff as well. Logistics to/from Alor are a little easier than RA.

cheers

John

 

[phil_g]

Hi Mantajohn,

Thanks again for the feedback. We generally from Singapore Air from LA to Singapore in order to get anywhere in SE Asia....and we can get back and forth easily to Bali from Singapore.

We did not see too much big stuff in RA, although we did see your namesake the mantas, as well as sharks, turtles, etc....and tons of fish everywhere, it was pretty amazing and I highly recommend a trip there. For RA we flew from SIN to Jakarta to Makassar to Sorong, but were able to accomplish that with only one overnight in Jakarta. On the way back we went via Manado back tom Singapore.

Best,
Phil