Off the beaten path in Alor

[stphnmartin]

Took a trip aboard the Indo Siren shortly before it was lost to a fire and sunk. It was my first time visiting Alor and I had heard many great things about this location as it's a transitional destination for liveaboards and not well travelled.

The reefs were very healthy with amazing soft and hard corals. The diving was challenging with currents as well as cooler water requiring another layer and hood! Currents sometimes changed dramatically with upwellings and downwellings in places.

Alor is definitely worth the effort, especially after you've hit the headliners of Indonesia.

 

[FullThrottle]

Thanks I enjoyed that. Very nice video in a beautiful setting.

 

[stphnmartin]

Thanks I enjoyed that. Very nice video in a beautiful setting.

Really appreciate it. Thanks for watching.

 

[1fish]

Thanks for the video, you captured the beauty!
We are going in May 2025 and are just starting to sort the details.
If you don't mind answering a few questions...
- what are you using for camera and peripheries?
- Thinking about the new Insta 360 ace pro 2. Handheld with no lights. I know it will not be as beautiful as your video but I want to go minimal, and not make the camera my main focus of the dive. Do you think it can be good enough?
-Any tips on getting there? We are west Coast U.S. like you so what have you learned?

Thanks
Marty

 

[stphnmartin]

Thanks for the video, you captured the beauty!
We are going in May 2025 and are just starting to sort the details.
If you don't mind answering a few questions...
- what are you using for camera and peripheries?
- Thinking about the new Insta 360 ace pro 2. Handheld with no lights. I know it will not be as beautiful as your video but I want to go minimal, and not make the camera my main focus of the dive. Do you think it can be good enough?
-Any tips on getting there? We are west Coast U.S. like you so what have you learned?

Thanks
Marty

Thanks.

I use a GH5M2 in a nauticam housing. I mainly shot the 60mm macro and 7-14 wide lenses.

Actions cams really suffer in low light situations like underwater. But if you just want to have some reminders of the trip, it may suffice with that goal. To get the colors you'll really need lighting, or be very shallow.

We flew Seattle > Taipei > Denpasar (Bali) > Makassar > Maumere. Yep, four flights!

The domestic Indonesian flights didn't line up well so we stayed a night at the airport hotel in Denpasar inbound and outbound. It's really convenient to terminal.

Pay attention to domestic flight baggage limitations and prepay to avoid the complications and extra cost of doing so at check in.

Also do the visa ahead of time online. Otherwise you'll have to do it on arrival and it will be a mess.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[1fish]

Thanks for the info. I might break down and get a light but I really love diving without all the distractions. I hope to find a balance there.
Hope to see more of your videos!

 

[tatugrl68]

Just a tip. Maumere airport is very unreliable right now due to the volcano. We just recently returned from a Banda Sea trip on Mermaid 2 and we ended our cruise in Alor instead of Maumere. We are still waiting to hear about our refund from Batik air (part of Lion air group) They did not cancel the flight until the day of the flight.

 

[canada_diver]

Great footage, love the macro shots. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Darnold9999]

I believe the only way to get to Alor without an overnight stay in Kupang is to take the 3:00 AM flight (Batik or Citilink) from Jakarta to Kupang and then the Wings Air 8:15 AM flight from Kupang to Alor. It is not possible to make a connection from Bali to Alor without staying overnight in Kupang.