mrrworld
Contributor
I did a trip report on this board at http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/418804-alor-trip-report.html. It was worth the effort going there, not sure it is a place to return to but definitely worth diving. Have fun.
Any opinions on Alor?
- Thread starter rickcavanaugh
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Interesting remark about Donovan's price. I felt it was probably the best package dive trip price (round trip airfare from Kupang, lodging, meals, 4 dives/day) we'd ever seen, and everything went remarkably smoothly. For some reason, he doesn't post his Gmail address that goes straight to his phone, but that's the one he sees all the time.
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ocdiver1
Contributor
I'm not saying it was unreasonable, but in pricing it in comparison to the other options in Alor it was not favorable. Actually, with Donovan I shouldn't have used the word "unresponsive," he was actually a bit of a jerk in my communication with him which absolutely put me off in continuing to consider them last trip.
boletus1973
Contributor
hi luko... i'm on that slow boat in the same time..... i can say that la petite kepa is a backpacker resort but the only two new exclusive bungalows where i stay are big and very nice(not backpaker style)... the food is a problem but for one week or two i can survive...
the slow boat is really big, we are ten divers on that boat and we are happy.. plenty of space... the boat goes around the area from 7:30 in the morning and after two dives come back for lunch... 1:00 or maximum 2:30 in the afternon... they are very close to kalabahi bay, but they don't go there to much... during our stay we do 14dives... only 4 in kalabahi bay(one nightdive)..... every day we are around pura-pantar-alor... i want do more dives.. but the house reef when we are there was in very lowtide with strong current... and with the boat they do only two dives day i like the diving there.... in one week we dont meet other divers.... but i prefer komodo... also with the crowd.
i can come back to alor?....yes... but if you are a photographer and you want to photograph school of fish, don't go there.. the fish are afraid of divers..... alor have WOW coral walls... really great macro... and superb viz....
anemone city, in kepa they call it freezer.... 21° degree... brrrr.... is a very nice site... we saw there 4 wobbegongs 1 mobula and one huge thresher shark.......
if you are in Indonesia, alor worth a visit and la petite kepa is a nice resort for the price.... I think it costs less than half of alor divers.... if you are on a budget like us you can do alor!
bye bye
boletus
Uli Kunkel
Contributor
Im not quite sure "backpacker" resort quite appiles to Kepa. It is cheaper, by far- but dont expect groups of young kids hanging around, or any sort of party atmosphere...
I found the rooms to be quite nice, although they are extremely basic (ie. no running water, made of bamboo and thatch, no aircon in most rooms). The food was great (if you like Indonesian), I thought although it was quite repetitive.
The diving was as Boletus says. Some great macro, but Kepa didnt really favour going into the bay that much to see it. Most of the dives are walls with excellent coral cover, few fish, and sometimes insane currents. Personally I got bored of constant wall dives and wished there was more macro life to be found outside the bay, but we just didnt see it.
Also, it is quite a long way to go for only two dives a day, I thought. Especially considering that there is virtually nothing to do on the island except for dive. It is possible to do house reef dives, but their house reef is on an island in the middle of the strait and it must be dived at the right time or else you might find yourself floating to Australia. When I was there it was impossible to dive in the afternoon because of the currents.
I found the rooms to be quite nice, although they are extremely basic (ie. no running water, made of bamboo and thatch, no aircon in most rooms). The food was great (if you like Indonesian), I thought although it was quite repetitive.
The diving was as Boletus says. Some great macro, but Kepa didnt really favour going into the bay that much to see it. Most of the dives are walls with excellent coral cover, few fish, and sometimes insane currents. Personally I got bored of constant wall dives and wished there was more macro life to be found outside the bay, but we just didnt see it.
Also, it is quite a long way to go for only two dives a day, I thought. Especially considering that there is virtually nothing to do on the island except for dive. It is possible to do house reef dives, but their house reef is on an island in the middle of the strait and it must be dived at the right time or else you might find yourself floating to Australia. When I was there it was impossible to dive in the afternoon because of the currents.
ocdiver1
Contributor
My experience was much different when I was there...75% of our dives were in the Bay, and it was clear they had been going there a lot prior to my coming as they were extremely knowledgeable as to where to locate certain things and what had been seen lately. I'd go back to stay/dive with La Petit Kepa in a heartbeat.
gilbubblefish
Registered
i just had a chance to create a flickr album from my AlorUnderwater picture, i still need to name them all, long job, will try to do it soon. enjoy : http://www.flickr.com/photos/101623137@N02/
it is true that the school of fish and the fish in general are difficult to approachin Alor, this can be frustrating ( or challenging depending how you see the wayto take photo ) when you practice wide angle photography, but i don't see anyfrustration as a diver. this is due to the traditional way of fishing withspare gun i suppose...
Gilles
www.alor-divers.com
it is true that the school of fish and the fish in general are difficult to approachin Alor, this can be frustrating ( or challenging depending how you see the wayto take photo ) when you practice wide angle photography, but i don't see anyfrustration as a diver. this is due to the traditional way of fishing withspare gun i suppose...
Gilles
www.alor-divers.com
Luko
Contributor
What a great idea, nice to browse them on the net.
Bubbles you have some serious photographic skills! Thanks for sharing.
How often do they recon they see the Hammerheads?? And when??
Alor-Divers definitely seems to be the place to stay. But it is pretty pricey.
My question is Alor or Ambon first?? Both are on the list of must do places.
