Alami Alor

Alami Alor is a boutique resort on the remote Indonesian island of Alor providing both scuba diving and snorkeling services and specializing in underwater photography. Catering to a maximum of 12 scuba divers or 14 snorkelers, this lovely resort will host you in an intimate setting where we can get to know each guest on a personal level, enjoy authentic family style Indonesian meals together and cater the scuba diving and snorkeling to your interests. The resort grounds are set in a tropical forest along Alor Island’s volcanic coastline, which provides a shaded and breezy home base for your stay.

Underwater photographers will be well taken care of with our on-site camera room and Photo-Pro. You can improve and learn new UW photography skills by participating in the customized photo workshops.

Guest accommodation is provided in 7 spacious and airy waterfront bungalows.  Your bungalow is accessed via a private pebble path which leads to your tropical hardwood terrace and ocean front seating area. 

Inside, your bedroom features a full glass ocean facing frontage with either 1 king or 1 king + 1 single spring bed, air-conditioning, ceiling fan, wardrobe & computer desk.  The en-suite open air bathroom with a fresh hot water rain shower provides an aerial view of the tropical forest canopy.

Scuba diving in Alor will give you the chance to experience multiple types of tropical diving in one location and without crowds. The diversity of our underwater sites is tremendous with a wide range of coral walls and slopes, fields of anemones and volcanic cliffs and caves. Inside the Kalabahi Bay a variety of black and white slopes make for macro muck diving sites that are interesting to both curious underwater explorers and photographers. Our local guides and photo-pro will lead you on underwater tours to get the most out of your visit and personal marine life interests.

Surface intervals can be equally exciting with the chance to encounter multiple species of dolphins, whales or snorkel with a mola-mola. Bottle nose, spinner and frasier dolphins are spotted weekly and at times joined by large pods of melon-headed whales. Blue whales can be spotted randomly at any time, with their numbers and frequency increasing during seasonal migrations . With the correct timing in the moon cycle and a bit of luck, our boat crew will take you between or after dives to have a look for mola-mola who have been brought to the surface in a cool water upwelling.

Coral Reef Diving

Located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, the Alor Archipelago has one of the most well preserved coral reef systems in Indonesia.  Dynamite and cyanide fishermen from other islands were long ago warded off by the local people who saw the value in preserving their home reefs. Cold water upwellings from the southern seas push through the Strait after each new and full moon keeping our water temperature regulated and fresh.  This has left us with some of the most colorful, beautiful, diverse and densely covered coral reef sites that we see today. 

Due to seasonal weather conditions, the best time to visit  Alor’s coral reefs is March through December for both ideal surface and underwater conditions. In season, underwater visibility can be absolutely outstanding ranging from 15 meters / 50 feet in our shoulder season to 40 meters / 132 feet in the height of our dry season. When the sun is shining (and that is often) the colors and clarity of the water can look dramatically beautiful to you as an observer and some great opportunities for wide angle if you are a photographer or videographer.

Muck Diving

Muck diving is like an exciting underwater treasure hunt and is a macro photographer’s dream. Muck diving sites are typically on black sand and volcanic rock slopes, which are plentiful in our region. Muck sites are famous to at first appear quite plain and devoid of corals and swimming fishes, but on second look be full of some of the planet’s most fascinating and bizarre bottom dwelling creatures.

The House Reef

The house reef enables explorers to go on their own adventures. It also caters to underwater photographers who want to take their time to get the perfect shot. And the best thing is that it just takes a small leap from the swimming platform of our jetty and you are already in the middle of the action. After your descent you will already be surrounded by vivid underwater life. At only 5 metres depth you can encounter colorful mandarin fishes, cardinal fishes, hunting trumpet fishes, lobsters, stone fishes or shy marble shrimp within the volcanic rocks, sea urchins and soft corals. And that’s just the beginning.