Alor ? Best of Indo

[scubajunky17]

HI All,
I love big fish action and fishy reefs. Some of my best diving has been Palau, Polynesia, Galapagos, I'm pretty convinced that Indonesia has the best diving in Asia and for diversity and scale it must be the best dive destination on the planet. Question is have I seen the best of it? I have dived RA in August two years ago and loved it. I am planning a trip to return and want to try somewhere else, I have dived komodo twice, Bunaken, Lembh, Bali.
How does Alor compare to RA and Komodo ? I also hear things of the Banda Islands but I think the weather is bad in August.
Any advice appreciated, please!

 

[Wingy]

You would love Alor from the previous convo's we have had about dive spots go for it - I havent done Alor in quite a few years but all reports are that it is still as good as it was.....think RA without the ever growing crowds.

 

[charlier]

RA is still wonderful and healthy. Last week, we visited southern RA, no other boats on the horizon. The best LoBs and land-based resorts will try to schedule the dives on popular dive sites without overlap.

 

[scubajunky17]

Thanks guys, is Alor really comparable to RA ? is it pricey resorts or budget backpacker style ? If it's in the same league as RA i'm going to give it some serious consideration.

 

[matts1w]

There is no way I would compare Alor to RA. Whenever someone brings up Alor, the reviews are always mixed. Some people love it, while others are.....meh. I was not impressed, especially considering the distance and price. I found the walls almost as boring as Bunaken and the muck far less productive than Ambon or Lembeh. We did see a few sharks, but nothing mind blowing. That being said, there were several people staying where I did who were multiple time repeat customers. I suppose I should head back to Alor and give it another chance, especially with more neoprene (The water is very, very cold). But for now I will make other plans.

 

[scubajunky17]

Thanks for your input, have you been anywhere as good as RA ?

 

[Luko]

I am one of the people who stand that after going three times in a row, Alor is one of the best places in Indonesia, personally i rate it higher than Komodo where I guess the diving can be good but the conditions are poor (especially the guides who are, to use the Donald's words, a "disaster") .
Now some operations are more specialized into blue water and big fish diving than others, if that is your kick, then chose Alor Divers, it's a no brainer. Otherwise you may be disappointed with more budget operations that may not have the boats nor the clues to go where the big fish are.

 

[Dan]

Alor dolphins greeted us on the way to Alor Divers.

 

[Andreni]

I've been in Alor in October and also know R4 quite good. In my opinion you have to time Alor right to see the famous schools of hammerheads. Go there for new or full moon and you might be lucky. I loved the healthy corals in Alor, the stunning visibility and we were lucky with the muck diving. On one day we had one mototi, one blue ring and one hairy octopus.. Compared to Lembeh or Ambon the guides in Alor are not as experienced as the region only begins to attract more and more divers. We stayed at Alami Alor which was perfect for us as they do corals dives in the morning and muck dives in the afternoon (minimum of 3 dives /day).

For me West-Papua is still the most complete region: muck dives, current with sharks and big fish schools and very healthy corals. The downside is that you can't speak of an unexplored region without tourists...

In Banda there are nice corals and also nice small stuff. But we didn't see that many big fish and weren't lucky to see the hammerheads.

In August i wouldn't go to Banda nor R4 as the weather can be quite bad with big waves and limited choice of dive spots. Some dive centers are even closed for the summer period.

You find pictures of all dive regions on my flickr-account. Maybe it helps you to compare what to expect from the different destinations. All those regions are awesome dive destinations if you have the correct expectations.

 

[matts1w]

Thanks for your input, have you been anywhere as good as RA ?

The Solomon Islands
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