Alor – Indonesia's best kept secret?

Moa Thim Virenhem

There are diving trips, and then there is Alor

There are diving trips, and then there is Alor – Indonesia's best kept secret??
I've seen most of Indonesia below the surface, yet I came up with a small tear in my eye after my first dive in Alor. It may have been among the finest, most colorful and healthy reefs I have ever seen. The tears were pure happiness! That there are still places left where the reefs are not yet affected by environmental degradation, tourism or overfishing. The colors were vibrant and the fish were living their best lives. And it wasn't just the first dive that delivered, every dive during my two weeks there surprised me.

I remember the first time I saw Alor on the map, a small dot far away in eastern Indonesia, almost hidden among hundreds of other islands. Far from Bali and the more famous islands of Indonesia, one of the country's most untouched and fascinating destinations. The island belongs to the Nusa Tenggara Timur province and is part of a small archipelago where Alor is often described as Indonesia's best kept secret. The fact that it's a bit of a pain to get there doesn't bother me, it just means fewer people and more undisturbed diving.

Getting to Alor requires patience, but that's exactly what makes the place so special.

It’s not a place you just “happen to” end up in. After two flights from Bali (or Jakarta) and an overnight stay in Kupang, you’ve suddenly landed in this “secret”, preserved place. When you fly in over Alor, you’re greeted by incredible scenery and crystal clear water. Here are small islands with white sandy beaches and swaying palm trees. For such a “non-touristy” place, everything still ran super smoothly. After I landed, the transfer was waiting for me and on to the southern part of the island took about 1 hour. There’s something almost timeless about Alor. The roads wind through deep valleys, children wave as you drive past, and life moves slowly and quietly. There are no large Tripsts or luxury hotels here. Just smaller, more basic accommodations where you fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

But back to the diving, what brought me here and what really took my breath away. Or cry like I did… Alor is one of the most pristine diving destinations I have ever visited and definitely one of, or perhaps Indonesia’s best kept secret. The visibility is almost unreal, the corals look like paintings and every dive offers new surprises. Everything from small pygmy seahorses, colorful nudists and sometimes larger visitors like sharks, mantas and a blue whale we saw from the surface. It’s like swimming in an aquarium that no one has touched yet. Or like in one of those commercials you see in electronics stores.

Vibrant nudibranch crawling on coral, showcasing colorful marine life, perfect for scuba diving and underwater exploration enthusiasts.

Colorful coral reef with diverse marine life and schools of fish in clear blue ocean water.

Vibrant coral reef with colorful fish and clear blue water for scuba diving adventures.

Diver exploring coral reef next to a discarded fishing trap underwater.

Vibrant coral reef scene with a scuba diver exploring underwater marine life.

Colorful close-up of a lionfish showcasing vibrant stripes and spines, perfect for underwater photography and marine life exploration.

Scub Travel Moa thim Virenhem liten rhanopia

Scub Travel Moa thim Virenhem pygme sjöhäst

Scub Travel Moa thim Virenhem Orange frogfish

Scuba Travel Moa Thim Virenhem Fiskar och rev

Scuba Travel Moa Thim Virenhem Rhinopias

Scuba Travel Moa Thim Virenhem yellow frogfish

I don't know if I can choose a favorite dive, but here are some well-deserved mentions:

Munaseli – North Pantar Island. It offers strong currents and a steep wall. The nutrient-rich currents attract large fish, sharks and large schools. Although we didn’t see everything, according to the guides, it is common to encounter hammerhead sharks, silvertip sharks, reef sharks, grey reef sharks, eagle rays, mobulas, large barracuda and dogtooth tuna.

Mucky Mosque, Papajahe and Matap – Dream spots for macro enthusiasts, perfect for muck diving and night diving. Sandy bottoms and the night dives were among the best I've done. Not a minute went by without our guide finding something new to show: Rhinopias (all four night dives!!), frogfish, octopuses, harlequin shrimp, colemani shrimp, seahorses and ghost pipefish are just some of what we saw.

Pasir Merah – Which translates to “red sand”, and is named after the unique red volcanic sand slopes. Here, gas vents bubble up from the Gunung Maru volcanic system through the reefs, really cool! Macron was at its best, with mandarin fish, hairy shrimp, frogfish, but also sleeping nurse sharks and bamboo sharks.

While I may not have had any luck with the larger pelagic animals, it's the excitement that makes it so. You never know what might pop up in the blue, dolphins, mola-mola, manta rays, hammerheads or whales.

The diving season runs from mid-March to mid-December, and more or less all Tripsts close completely during the monsoon season. There is no specific season when there is a higher chance of seeing certain species, as their habitats and migration routes are not fully known. I was there in June/July, perfect period, but the guides insisted that I come back later in the year for a better chance of seeing large schools of hammerhead sharks. Some on the boat saw a few hammerheads while I was there, but not me…. next time!

As it is still a relatively undiscovered destination we were almost always alone at the dive sites, one boat per site. All dive operators (total of 9 land-based at the moment) have a booking system to distribute the dives and avoid multiple boats diving at the same site at the same time. This makes it feel even more exclusive and luxurious!

Alor is not the easiest place to get to, but for you as a diver it is a dream that still feels untouched. A place where the sea still whispers its secrets, and where every dive feels like the first.