Dive Alor Dive, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

5Saanthi 5:00 PM Sep 5, 2022

Malayan Sub Aqua Club Alor Adventures Aug 2022
We made a dive trip to Alor in Aug 2022 and could not possibly have done better with anyone else. Flights were postponed from the expected arrival date so we arrived a day late and close to 11AM, fully expecting to lose the diving day. This was not the case, as Donovan was so well organised. We got picked up, checked in to our hotel(best in Kalabahi no doubt) and on the boat managing to squeeze in two dives before the sun set. Now here’s the thing all dive sites in Alor seem to be in a sheltered bay and look deceptively calm and manageable when you look at the map and the pictures. This is not the case. All sites even the ones right in front of villages and in shallow water under 5m in depth have ripping currents and cold waters. We experienced 22C and were told it could get to 17C and this, on days with clear sunny skies overhead in tropical waters. The combination of very deep water with shallow sections side by side in narrow channels result in fast currents, up currents, down currents and cold water in the most unexpected places. In addition some sites had really fast currents at the bottom and no currents on the surface, all in all bizarre conditions. Donovan has, we now know unmatched experience and understanding of the local diving environment and quite possibly is the only guide capable of handling all sites in Alor. There is no substitute for the experience of the local diving expert at sites like these if one wants to dive safely. Our best sites were Kal’s Dream and The Cathedral. Alor is as good as the more popular sites in Komodo if not better given the excellent coral cover and civic mindedness of the local population. There is hardly any rubbish on land or in the water and reefs undamaged even right in front of villages. Please do visit Alor, with Donovan as your guide to fully appreciate and enjoy it. Lastly a big thank you to Donovan and his crew(Ben included) for making this a great trip for us. Lots of love. Saanthi and Gou

5hidesert47 5:00 PM Sep 23, 2022

Dive Alor with the person who started it!
Come to Alor expecting pristine Indonesian dive sites, 30m visibility or more, dive depths from 5m to the deep blue, water temps from 17-29C, currents from zero to ripping, from any direction at any time. Worth it? Yes indeed! I dived it first in 2012 and again three weeks ago. Both times I chose Donovan Whitford for his knowledge, expertise, and organization, and I'd do it again.When you can do these gorgeous dives with someone who actually pioneered Alor diving 30 years ago, named many (most) of the dive sites, and can shepherd you through these currents likely better and safer than anyone else, why would you do otherwise?