Day 1: Pulau Alor

I did two days of diving with alor-diving.com based at La Petite Kepa. Their normal routine is 2 dives per day, leaving on their boat around 0730 and returning around 1330. Dives are EUR33 with all equipment.

Day 1 Diving Experience

• First dive was at Abila Pura where the current was strong. I got separated from the group slightly and had to fight the current to keep close to them. As a result, my dive was shorter than my usual (about 35 minutes). The coral wall was beautiful and the highlight was the mandarin fish.  As I found out later, the strong current was due to the lunar perigee (close to the earth on its elliptical orbit) combined with a recent full moon.
• The second dive was at Matap Alor which was described as a muck dive. While it wasn’t exactly mucky, there were various critters to be seen. Cedric pointed out a couple of ghost pipefish, young batfish (black and orange with very odd proportions, it was very tall and short!) and a demon fish. It was very cold (a relative term) at first at 24degC, and going down to depths of 30m meant that I lasted only about 40 minutes (again shorter than my usual).

The Dive Boat & Dive Operator

The dive boat is big roomy and equipped with a toilet (wow!). There is also a nice sundeck. It can also double as a liveaboard if required.

As for the dive operator, they are very casual. There is no paper work and they expect you to be upfront with your past diving experience.  Most customers (during my visit) have done hundreds or thousands of dives. They are also repeat customers that come from afar. I probably wouldn’t be so comfortable here if I had been a brand new diver. If you are new, I’d suggest you make it clear so you can receive a little more attention.