Underwater Adventures in Alor – Indonesia’s Hidden Jewel

Raja Ampat, Banda Sea, Sulawesi, Komodo … These legendary places are at the top of almost every ocean enthusiast’s bucket list. And they are all in Indonesia, a vast and diverse archipelago nation that comprises more than 17,000 islands.

But a hidden jewel—perhaps the hidden jewel of them all—is the islet of Alor. Lesser known and harder to get to, Alor is all the more special and spectacular for it. Alor and the nearby islands that make up the Alor mini-archipelago occupy a unique position among several significant oceanic currents, drawing dense populations of fish and an array of migrating marine mammals including blue whales, sperm whales, and several species of dolphin. And thanks to the spectacular clarity of the water, visibility is unmatched, allowing for glimpses of rare, beautiful, and otherwise impossible to see macro-fauna such as pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish, and a wide range of nudibranchs.

So while Alor might not have the name recognition (and resulting crowds) of some of its more famous neighbors, it takes a backseat to none.

Lesser known and harder to get to, Alor is all the more special and spectacular for it. It offers some of the world’s best snorkeling and scuba diving, easily on par with well known destinations like Raja Ampat, Sulawesi, and Komodo. © John McCormick

Arrival to SAVU – A Sustainable Dive / Snorkel Resort in South Alor

Just getting to Alor is a bit of an adventure. Once you’ve made it to Jakarta or Bali, it’s a flight to Kupang in West Timor—already well off the beaten path for most tourists—and from there another short flight to the island of Alor.

Map showing location of Alor and other key locations in Indonesia

Whatever effects the time zone changes and late-night flights are having, they dissipate when you board the boat in Alor, crewed by gregarious locals, and set off for the 45-minute trip to the southwestern coast of the island where the resort SAVU is located. The water is crystal clear and teeming with life, and you can’t help but feel like you are on a bonafide adventure, seeing things that very few people—even the most devoted travelers, divers, and snorkelers—ever see. It’s a glimpse of true oceanic wilderness, seemingly untouched by pollution, crowds, or modern inconveniences.

SAVU is situated on the Pantar Strait, a marine protected area, and is within view of the Savu Marine National Park that is home to 21+ cetacean species including almost half of the world’s whale species. The entire resort is solar powered, uses locally sourced materials, and features a huge organic garden that is maintained using permaculture practices.

Accommodations include beachfront cottages and cliffside villas. Each beachfront cottage is a 50 square meter, one-room cabana with two beds (queen and daybed), outdoor and indoor showers with hot water, and a private walking path to the beach. The cliffside villas are a bit larger (60 square meters), each with one king-size bed and one daybed, a private pool and deck with lounge chairs, and, as you might expect, spectacular elevated views of the Savu Sea.

An aerial view of SAVU resort in South Alor, the base for our expeditions. This boutique resort boasts a strong commitment to sustainability, and offers accommodations in beachfront cottages and cliffside villas.

When you’re ready for some food and socializing, the resort’s main building features dining areas, a fully-stocked bar, lounge areas, and one of the most Instagrammable infinity pools you’ll ever see. But be warned, if you get a little too cozy in a lounge chair and nod off, you may be jolted awake by the enthusiastic clanging of the “whale bell,” signifying that someone has spotted a spout.

The infinity pool at SAVU looks out onto Pantar Strait, a marine protected area. © Chris Biertuempfel

Finally, the hotel is staffed by locals who care as much about sustainability as they do about making sure you are taken care of. Mixologist Alex and chief waiter Momo are always smiling and happy to accommodate any dietary need, room request, or to make one of their signature cocktails. Hendro and Ingrid and their full-service dive team have all of our snorkeling or dive gear washed and dried and onto the boat before the day has started. Head chef Femi and the kitchen crew never cease to amaze with the delicious and beautifully presented locally-inspired meals each day. And Kori is always ready, bright and early, to whip up the best cappuccinos on the island, should you need an extra pick-me-up.

But you’ve not traveled all this way to hang out at the resort—tempting as that idea may be—you’re here for the true treasures of Alor, which lie beneath the ocean’s surface.

Underwater treasures abound in Alor, and the experience is heightened by excellent visibility of up to 40 meters / 130 feet. © John McCormick

A Typical Day in Alor

A day in Alor starts with breakfast on the beach, and then it’s into the boats for your first of two snorkels or dives of the day, looking out for whales along your way.

• 07:00 Breakfast on the beach
• 09:00 Morning snorkeling/diving
• 12:00 Lunch on the beach and downtime
• 14:00 Afternoon snorkeling/diving
• 16:00 Downtime
• 18:00 Evening educational program presented by a trained naturalist
• 19:00 Dinner

The Underwater Experience: Visibility, Reef Sites, Species, and Did We Mention Visibility?

There are dozens of reef sites around Alor and several new ones are discovered each season, especially in the mostly unexplored south of the archipelago where SAVU is located. But no matter where you go and how much time you’ve spent in the ocean, you are going to be amazed by the visibility. It is absolutely world class. Our expeditions take place during the dry season, with visibility up to 40 meters /130 feet. For someone like me, who has been on hundreds of dives, the visibility of Alor was jaw-dropping—easily the best I’ve ever experienced.

For someone like me, who has been on hundreds of dives, the visibility of Alor was jaw-dropping—easily the best I’ve ever experienced.

That visibility affords views of stunningly diverse sights: vibrant, healthy coral reefs teeming with fish, crustaceans, and plant life; big fish patrolling above and below; and countless bucket list-rare encounters, from Mola molas to pelagic thresher sharks. While the currents can be strong and seemingly unpredictable to visitors, Johannes and Lili (SAVU’s owners) choose locations strategically and offer all the guidance needed to navigate the conditions and get the most out of your time underwater.

SAVU is uniquely equipped to easily accommodate both divers and snorkelers separately without impacting the experience for either. Nearly all snorkeling sites are also suitable for divers, who can then join the snorkelers after their dive is complete, should they choose. This was ideal for our group, with some participants (myself included) choosing to dive on certain days, while the bulk of our group went snorkeling.

Every day and every snorkel or dive is different in Alor, but here are some highlights from our group’s recent trip:

• SAVU House Reef: Let’s be honest, “house reefs” are usually nothing to write home about…right? Not the case on Alor. SAVU’s house reef is so large it is divided into three sections, each with its own unique habitat: a lively coral slope; coral bommies made up of pristine hard corals; and white sandy flats cut by rocky canyons covered in sponges, corals, and reef fish. We made multiple visits to SAVU’s house reef and saw scorpionfish, banded sea crates, and sea turtles. We were also fortunate to witness a rare spectacle as one of our travelers with an adventurous spirit led an iconic free dive to a 7 meter cave, leading to the naming of said cave: “Bob’s Grotto.”
• Clown Valley: This site is home to tons of anemones. In fact, this reef has the highest concentration of anemones anywhere in the world, and that means, among other things, innumerable beautiful, lovable clownfish, as the name suggests. During our snorkel we also saw dogtooth tuna, trevally, and massive schools of anthias. It’s the best place in the north for viewing hard corals, and there’s even a good chance you’ll see thresher sharks whether you are snorkeling or diving.
• Andy’s Bus Stop: A wall snorkel with dense coral coverage and stunning anthias. Large barrel sponges growing from the reef were crawling with nearly transparent Lampert’s sea cucumbers and delicate blue brittle stars. We counted multiple species of nudibranchs, including: Phyllidia, Phyllidiella, Nembrotha, and Chromodoris. While exploring the huge cavern, the visibility granted us a rare delight: pygmy seahorses perched on gorgonian sea fans. Looking out into the open ocean we saw giant trevallies, tuna, and humphead (Napoleon) wrasse.
• Cathedral: A sloping wall with dense, pristine coral coverage including lush halimeda algae, crustose coralline algae, pink and yellow zoanthids, and huge barrel sponges. Moray eels, crabs, and shrimp could be found hiding in the cracks and crevices of the wall. For divers, at a depth of 30 meters there is an 8 meter-long swim through from which the Cathedral gets its name. As the wall slopes, it is common to see any number of pelagic surprises—our group saw a colossal yellowfin tuna and humongous giant trevally.
• Great Wall of Pantar: One of the most iconic sites in Alor. Above the surface, the wall is covered in wild orchids, which were in bloom during our visit. Beneath, the wall is awash in orange and pink, with soft coral trees, sponges, sea fans, and anthias. The wall was crawling with blue crayfish, lionfish, and blennies. An absolute behemoth of a banded sea krait passed us by, a jaw-dropping 4-5 feet long. Off the slope, a school of big mouth mackerel, skipjack tuna, and trevally darted around. And the wall’s drop-off is the most stunning in all of Alor, which is saying something.
• Bakalang Jetty: Dramatic underwater pillars that are covered in coral and sponge growth all the way to the surface. Here we saw the elusive waspfish, a rough snout ghost pipefish, anemone shrimp, coral shrimpfish, shrimp gobies, juvenile ribbon eels, and the crowd-favorite juvenile boxfish. We even saw a leaf scorpionfish that was so committed to camouflage that it rolled down the sandy slope with barely any fin movement.

On the way back from any snorkel or dive, we use that time for another “whale patrol”, which always resulted in something interesting, from pilot whales and Mola molas to thresher sharks and even mighty blue whales. Among our most thrilling patrol results: a pod of 40+ pilot whales, melon-headed whales, spotted dolphins, spinner dolphins, dwarf spinner dolphins, an unidentified shark, and an extraordinarily curious Mola mola.

Our group encountered a pod of 40+ pilot whales while traveling between underwater outings. © Chris Biertuempfel

A Profound and Unique Trip

When the underwater activities are done for the day, it’s back to the resort and all its charms. Most of us gathered to share photos, tell stories, and dive into fish identification guides to put a name on what we’d seen. But there’s always swimming in the pool, cocktails at the bar, curling up with a book, or letting the sea-breeze coax you into a nap. Before dinner, Oceanic Society naturalists give presentations and host discussions on things like local reef ecology, thresher shark conservation, marine mammals, and fish identification, all of which are intended to connect local initiatives with global conservation efforts and to encourage everyone to continue ocean stewardship when they get home.

© John McCormick

As with any underwater experience, words and photos don’t seem to do justice to my time in Alor. As an Oceanic Society team member, I am proud that we are able to offer such a profound and unique trip. As an ocean lover, I will be forever grateful for the opportunity, and Alor will always hold a special place in my heart. It is a magnificent, crowning jewel in the treasure trove of Indonesian waters—one of those places that, once you’ve been there, you never stop dreaming of going back. I hope to do so again soon…and I hope you’ll be there with me!

For upcoming departures and other Alor trip details, see Indonesia: Pristine Reefs of Alor and the Savu Sea.