Alor Dive Sites
Dive site name : Kal's Dream
This is probably the most well known dive site in the area. The submerged pinnacle which can only be dived on a slack tide is teeming with schools of small fish, including anthias and fusiliers. You need to fin down to it since the current is usually quite strong, once there keep a lookout for barracuda and blacktips. However, they aren't guaranteed to show. "The Dream" can be hit or miss, on a good day the visibility can be awesome, large grey reef sharks and even hammerheads have been known to visit this spot.
Off the coast of Pura Island at Sharks Galore you can take a breather from the currents without compromising your fun. Not surprisingly, given the name, there is a good chance of you seeing plenty of sharks here in what is normally a still or gentle drift dive.
Dive site name: Pertamina Pier
Pertamina is a wonderful Indonesian dive site that leaves divers searching for more superlatives to describe it. This relatively new site is a black sand slope in the harbor that forms a haven for critters. Keep a look out for ghost pipefish, seahorses, hairy crabs and even wonderpuss - a bizarre species of octopuses. Pegasus's sea moth is just a few of the small species that can be found on the bottom.
There are a number of other dive sites in the area, including The Arch off Ternate island. This spot has a large underwater arch at 20 to 30 meters covered in whip corals and gorgonians. Small caves can be found while diving around Buaya island and sea apples are the highlight diving off neighbouring Pantar island. Many of the other Alor dive sites are great for small critters and macro delights. Photographers will love it here as it is one of the best muck dives in Alor.
Dive site name: Twilight Zone
Twilight Zone just off the beach. Dives start at a lava flow to the south of the beach, and you can choose between diving further south over the reef or to prowl around to the north in the volcanic black volcanic sand. Most fun can be had in relatively shallow water though you can drop to 40 metres or more.
It's a critter-dive paradise and there's no end to the weird and wonderful creatures that ply this area. Snake eels sneak out from their holes as the Bobbit worms and Gunard lionfish cruise along the sandy seabed. The coral mounds are covered in octopuses including the rare mimic.
Any keen observer will spot the heads of the Spearing Mantis Shrimps during the day - though they would have to wait for a night dive to watch the animals leaving their holes to indulge their aggressive hunting tactics. This site is also one the few places one earth that hosts the massive nudibranch.
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