Alor

[JasonG]

I have noticed several very positive comments about the diving in Alor, a place that has been on my list for some time. For those who have been, I would be interested to know which dive operation/resort you used and what time of year you went.

In terms of timing, my guess is that March - May and September - November are the best times, but I could be very wrong about this. I ask because I would like to go there when the conditions are at their best.

Thanks in advance,

Jason

 

[OnTheSpot]

The best time to dive the stunning Alor is May to September as the rainy season falls between November to March.

Have a look at highlights of diving in Alor here.

 

[broadreach]

do a search on this board. there are some excellent threads with detailed information about the various operators in Alor.
I'm also seriously considering a trip there in September/October and found some great info here

 

[frogfish]

I visited in November a couple of years ago - Conditions were great, and this is also the time when whales migrate through the Alor strait.

We stayed and dived with Alor divers, and were very happy with the service & location. The resort has a great house reef (with schools of bumpheads, turtles, pigmies, leaf fish, ghostpipe fish etc.) and you can dive it as much as you want in addition to the two daily boat dives that are on offer.

 

[Kevster]

I also recommend Alor divers. They have nice cottages on a great beach. There is a friendly Japanese guide. I was there last Aug and was lucky to have perfect conditions(Aug can be windy)
Oct is a good time to go

 

[Andy_from_Germany]

Hi,

as long as you don't go to Alor between mid/end of November to mid February/begin of March you can't be much wrong with the season on Alor. Between December and February/March you have the rainy season when diving is not always possible due to the weather conditions.

[EDIT]
Diving on Alor is really good with visibilities usually larger than 20m. Water temperatures on my dives have been around 27 to 30 Celsius but once a year water temperatures can drop down to around 15 degrees with many fish dying due to the cold. When this happens lots of dolphins come feeding on the surface and it's a big event for the locals, too.
Depths on the dive sites go down to "bottomless", but there are as well a lot of "shallow" dives with depths in the 15m range.

You will most likely (99% chance) see dolphins on the way out of Kalabahi Bay, under water I never was lucky, though o-(
[/EDIT]

About dive operators operating on Alor:
On Alor is only one dive operator: German operated Alor Dive (alor-dive.com), my favourite.
On Kepa, a small island an the end of Kalabahi Bay is a French operated operator, Alor Diving and on Pantar is another French operation, Alor Divers (also called ""Eco Divers"").
From Kupang on Timor is an Australian run operator who was the first to operate Alor but now is not anymore up to date and, due to various reasons (confirmed by others I met during my trips in this region), is one that I won't recommend. Apart of that he's pretty expansive and doesn't have an own boat on Alor.

Having said this there might be some more things that you should know before in order to have a good time on Alor. I know this might sound as if I don't want you to go there but I think it's just fair to let you know in advance:

- Alor is remote and not "touristy". This means that the hotels are basic, although the new hotel on Alor, Nufitra, which can be booked via Alor Dive is pretty good. I can't comment on the huts on Kepa or Pantar as I never stayed there.
- On Alor are no night clubs, bars or "fancy restaurants"
- Travelling to and from Bali to Alor might mean that you have to stay one night each way in Kupang
- Diving on Alor might be "difficult" due to sometimes strong currents.


HTH,

Andy

 

[JasonG]

Andy and others,

Your comments about Alor Divers are consistent with my research (ie they are the operation of choice).

I am planning a dive trip in the July/August timeframe to an as yet undecided location, but certainly somewhere in Asia (I live in Hong Kong). It seems that most liveaboards gravitate to the Komodo area and I am happy to dive there, but want to explore other options as well. In so doing, I would prefer to select a destination where the conditions are close to their best in July/August.

My experience with some locations in Indonesia is that the June-August period can be a bit windy and in an email exchange with Alor Divers they confirmed that this is the case there as well. They said (and I appreciate their honesty) that vis on the house reef can be somewhat reduced during this period. Given this, I am hesitating on going to Alor in July/Austust and am considering saving the trip for next March/April. Any thoughts on this?

Jason

 

[Andy_from_Germany]

Hi Jason,


I can't comment on Alor Divers on Pantar as I never dove with them but in my opinion they have been too expensive and are far too remote.
If you stay in Kalabahi, the main town on Alor, you at least have a chance to see something else or walk around in the evening. On Pantar is, from what I saw from the boat, nothing.

I was on Alor around March/April, June and November (multiple visits of course) during the last years and never had bad visibility (= less than 20m) or bad weather. It all depends on the dive-sites you choose ;-)

If you have a chance to dive on a house reef it's a nice to have but, honest, the best dives have to be done by boat. And considdering the depths you have around Alor I won't dive more than 3 (boat) dives a day which you can do with all operators around Alor. Keep in mind that you are pretty remote and currents can be strong.

Have a look on the boats they use for diving, too. Alor Divers have, as far as I saw, only a speed boat with not much room to stay during surface intervals. Alor Dive, the German dive operator, on the other side has a large boat with kitchen, toilet and lot's of space to relax (and fish) during surface intervals. As you can't do much on Alor besides diving the trip to the dive-sites which of course takes longer from Kalabahi than Pantar shouldn't be a problem.

In any case: Don't go to Alor with a live-aboard. The guides don't know the area that well and therefore you don't get the best divesites or, if you are on those, not at the best time ("Kals Dream" can be the best or the worst dive, depending on when you do it during the same day).

HTH,

Andy

 

[mantajohn]

Jason

i was in Alor in November. A really good trip. It sounds as if you are thinking of a land trip, but if you are also considering a liveaboard, you may find some helpful info in my trip report.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cr...dancer-alor-itinerary-nov-09-trip-report.html

John

 

[Kevster]

Alor divers typically do 2 boat dives a day. Sometimes 2 in the morning but more often 1 morning , 1 afternoon dive. The speedboat they have is very fast which is a bonus getting to the sites(even the furthest sites were less than 1 hr away). Their house reef is very good,pigmy,nudis,nice coral. I was diving there before lunch (after the 1st boat dive) as the viss was better in the mornings compared to the afternoon during my visit.

There is nothing really on the beach apart from 9 nice bungalows & the dive center. A great place to relax in a hammock (for me being in a remote beach was a real highlight of my visit. The beach is nice. I have several photos if you are interested.I would avoid staying in the main town.
They are more expensive than the other operators.
There is a lot of good advice in the post above.
As i said i was there Aug 20th last year and had pefect flat conditions & amazing viss(+35m).
Some sites had pumping current. Stong down current enough to drag our exhaust bubbes downwards. When i was there we did not dive Karls dream as it was deemed to dangerous.