Alor, East of Flores An eleven day dive adventure itinerary on board The Komodo Dancer Welcome Aboard Starting in 2002 with the launch of the Komodo Dancer and carrying on in 2008 with the addition of our latest luxury three masted wooden schooner the Paradise Dancer, Cruises has been at the very forefront of the dive liveaboard industry in South East Asia. Our unique experience in the dazzling waters of the Indonesian archipelago is unparalleled and we are proud to present here an example of our Flores to Alor dive cruise itinerary. Flores to Alor For selected cruises during the year the Komodo Dancer will be setting out on dive adventure programmes "East of Flores" to Alor. Crystal clear visibility, exciting drifts along sheer walls, dazzling coral gardens and some magnificent muck dives combine to house one of the most prolific and diverse marine ecosystems on earth. Here is the story of the start of a brand new destination for Peter Hughes Diving and the Komodo Dancer.

A New Destination Life is full of surprises, particularly where scuba diving is concerned, and we had a really big one when the Alor in eastern Indonesia opened its door to us. In 2008 the Dancer Fleet’s operators in Indonesia launched a brand new luxury liveaboard, the Paradise Dancer. This impressive vessel immediately won acclaim not only for her wonderful style and facilities but also for the two outstanding but strikingly different destinations that she dives and cruises - North Sulawesi and Raja Ampat. Visiting two destinations during an operational year has given Peter Hughes Diving clients even more variety when selecting a dive destination. With this in mind we decided to repeat the exercise with our other Indonesian based vessel the Komodo Dancer and started to look at new and relatively undiscovered regions of the countries’ vast archipelago to visit. The search was easy, all we had to do was look in our dive logs. Back in 2004 we had a break in our regular Bali-Komodo schedule and took a custom cruise that pushed even The island of Pura in the Alor/ Strait at sunset further east visiting the chain of islands between Flores and Alor, deep into what is called . What we found astonished us; endless visibility over pristine reefs teeming with marine life and fascinating critter dives loaded with all the rare creatures underwater photographers only dream about. To go with our marine adventures there was breathtaking topside scenery featuring active volcanoes, breaching whales and leaping dolphins along with the wonderfully friendly local people diving into the water alongside us - and this was only one trip! We had always wanted to find out more and so our quest to find a new dive destination for the Komodo Dancer was over relatively quickly; it was staring us in the face. Location

The Flores/Adonara/Lembata/Pantar/Alor islands of Indonesia lie toward the end of the Nusa Tengarra archipelago, 160 nautical miles directly south of the large island of Sulawesi and 500 nautical miles east of Bali. Most of this huge island chain is about eight degrees below the equator and enjoys calm seas and warm sunny weather throughout most of the year. The different areas that we operate in around Indonesia each have a distinctive feel to them, both underwater and on the surface. The architecture of the reefs and the corals living on them appear to be slightly different in each area, marine life that is common in one place is rarely seen in others, and our

Flores to Alor route is no exception. The marine environments along our route here include sheer fan covered walls, teeming sea mounts and ledges with spectacular visibility, sparkling kaleidoscopic coral slopes and some remarkable sandy critter dives. Some are totally unique, such as Clown Valley and Big Foot Bay in the Alor/Pantar Strait, with carpets of anemones spreading as far as the eye can see. It was therefore with some excitement that in October 2008 we started out on what was to become some fascinating new dive cruises that revisited the eastern end of the Nusa Tenggara archipelago. Some of the areas and dive sites we already had knowledge of but we had our work cut out to find more - and what discoveries we made! It takes a little while to get really comfortable with a new operational area but our experience in Komodo, Raja Ampat and North Sulawesi stood us in good stead and right away we started for find some sublime new sites to go along with what we already knew. We are now at the end of our second season in the region and our list of sites and the marine life found on them just keeps on getting longer - and more impressive. Big Stuff

Large animals turn up in the Alor/Pantar Strait that are One of a pair of what we think were Fin Whales diving at Pura (video still) rarely seen in other destinations; Mola Mola, Thresher and Hammerhead Sharks and absolutely huge Dogtooth Tuna. On other dives along our northern route we are often visited by massive Napoleon Wrasse, plenty of Whitetip, Blacktip and Grey Reefsharks, collosal Black Blotched Stingrays as well as squadrons of Eagle and Mobular Rays. Huge schools of Dolphins are a common sight on our travels as they race towards to boat to play in our bow wave. The channels that separate the islands serve as a major thoroughfare for much larger ceteceans too and it is not unusual to see one or two huge whales surfacing to breath, even the massive Blue and Fin varieties. Small Stuff

Most avid marine critter hunters know of the Lembeh Strait in Sulawesi but not many have heard of the Sound, Teluk Lebaleba, Teluk Waihinga or Beangabang Bay - all of which are on a par with their more famous cousin. These areas produce rare and cryptic creatures time and time again, without the crowds or overzealous divemasters moving the marine life around - and we have only really scratched the A Paddleflap Rhinopius on the gravel at Beangabang Bay (video still) surface, or bottom if you want to be technically correct. To produce a world class critter site conditions must be right; slightly sloping sandy gravel and silt is the preferred bottom composition, washed over daily by a gentle tidal current and preferably mixed with a fresh water outflow such as a stream or river. When these environments combine then things start to get interesting, and there are plenty of opportunites to find them in the hundreds of bays and coves that are a feature of the islands. Topside

Along our route there are some incredible topside sights too - white sandy beaches, sparkling blue seas, emeral green forests, scorched savannah and more strikingly - many active volcanoes. Earlier this year we decided to visit one of these fire breathing monsters located out in the ocean and were once again surprised. Creeping up on the smoke puffing beast before first light gave us the awesome sight of molten lava flowing down the

mountainside into the sea punctuated by thunderous Komba volcano blowing it’s top bangs blasting out clouds of dust from deep inside the island - so of course we decided to dive there and found even more fascinating but very different sites to add to our list. The Local People

Although not densely populated we often get to meet the people of this far flung region, their smiling friendly faces making a welcome addition to any trip. The ladies from the islands of the Alor/Pantar Strait specialise in decorative Ikat fabrics and will brave the currents and row in their precarious water craft out for us to sample and buy their colourful weaves. If you like live entertainment don’t worry there is plenty of that too, we often roll up to a dive site to be greeted by an entire school of children singing and shouting to us from the shore or paddling their dugout canoes around the boat. The quality of the coral reefs of the Strait owe a lot to the local fishermen. Sustainable fishing practices using basket weave traps are in place and it is not unusual to see a spear fisherman going about his aquatic business whilst completing a safety stop after a dive, they love to pose for underwater photographs too. The Komodo Dancer and her experienced crew has now put East Flores and the Alor area firmly on the map of must see places for divers wanting to experience something exciting, new and out of the ordinary. For pioneering diving off the beaten track the underwater The Ikat ladies of Buaya plying their trade world of Alor is hard to beat! Surprise yourself - we did!

Day 1: Arrival and boarding the Komodo Dancer Maumere Harbour, North Flores Welcome aboard the Komodo Dancer. Lunch will be served shortly after boarding followed by vessel and diving orientation briefings. Dive equipment and camera systems can then be set up while the boat slowly makes its way out of Maumere harbour and into the Flores Sea.

Day 2: Getting Started Maumere Bay, North Flores The bay at Maumere hosts and impressive and diverse array of dive sites; muck, walls, reef and even a shipwreck are the high points here. It is a great starting or ending point for any cruise as the harbour at Maumere is close and it is easy to hit any of the sites from there. To the east of the harbour there are several sandy gravel critter dives but the main two sites are the muck at Wodong Bay and the shipwreck a little further Wodong Bay, North Flores along the coast. To the north there is a great reef drift at Pangabatang while at Babi the shallow reef extends well away from the island before dropping off to walls, ledges and cracks; a similar underwater topography is shared at Pulau Besar. Pomana Besar and Pomana Kecil have a couple of great dives too, again with shallow reef dropping to deep walls, all with spectacular coral growth, teeming marine life. Most of the sites in the bay are easy to dive too. The islands in the bay and town of Maumere were hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami in December 1992 which destroyed what was reckoned to be one of the Indonesia's best diving areas and evidence of this dual disaster is still evident on the wall and reef but the corals and marine life have rebounded and are now nearing their former glory. Keep any eye out in the bay too, we have spotted a lot of whales surfacing for air here. Day 3: The Legends of Bacatan The Bacatan Peninsula, Lembata This area of the island of Lembata (Kawalu) is dominated by the imposing sight of Ill (Gunung) Ape (Fire Mountain) – 1,450 metres, the sometimes smoking and very active volcano and further west Gunung Ujulewon – 1,550 metres. There are many remote traditional villages dotted around the coastal perimiters of these mountains with the population specializing in The imposing Ille Ape (Fire Mountain) on Lembata fine Ikat weaving, fishing and animist beliefs. The dive sites in this area offer great variety with dramatic sheer walls, sparkling reeftops, deep ledges, caverns and, on the slopes of Ille Ape, some tremendous black sand critter diving. On the ledges and walls is is common to see a variety of sharks, including black tips, white tips and greys; groups of eagle rays make frequent appearances too. A new site that we have found at close to the village of Watu Wara Wutun has only been dived a few times so far but has already come up with a variety of sand dwelling octopus as well as a several different types of ghost pipefish, we have very high hopes for this site in the future. Looking away from Lembata to the north on days with good visibility it is possible to see the island volcano of Komba. We visited here one morning (20 April 2009) with the idea to dive in a couple of areas. As we approached the island the smell of sulphur was in the air and the boat became covered in volcanic dust, it was possible to see molten lava and ash spewing from the east facing crater accompanied by deep rumbling sounds from within. A tender was dispatched to go close to the island but came back quickly - we thought better of diving here and moved away – impressive though the visit was. The Alor/Pantar Strait Located at the eastern tip of Nusa Tenggara, western the mythical and mysterious island of Alor has long been a mecca for the more adventurous diver. Difficult to get to it may be but the rewards are there for those who seek off the beaten track diving. Fierce currents sweep the strait between Pantar to the west and Alor itself, the islands of Pura, Ternate and Buaya acting as baffles in between, producing a divemasters nightmare for current predictions. The end product of all the water movement here however is world class diving. Vertical walls, scintillating sea mounts and magnificent muck combine to produce a perfect environment tailor made for the marine life that live here, everything from Mola Mola to Harlequin Shrimp can be spotted. Add to this the friendly locals and the lack of other dive boats Alor is establishing itself as one of the hotbeds of Indonesian diving.

Day 4: Pristine Reefs and Endless Visibility Ternate, Alor/Pantar Strait Ternate is a limestone island towering out of the northern end of the Alor/Pantar Strait. The interior of the island rises up to 800 metres and is surrounded with a fringing reef that plunges into the depths sometimes just a few metres from the shore. Currents here can be a little confusing. Having driven all around the island in a tender during a strong ebb (southbound) tide we found several places where there were strong counter currents, moving north, particularly on the eastern side. The fringing reef has very good coral cover and dense but small marine life. The predominant topography is sloping reef, walls, overhangs and caverns although the northern part of the island has extensive flat and shallow reefs with some sandy bays. The island of Ternate in the Alor/Pantar Strait

Day 5: Critters and Anemone Carpets Pura, Alor/Pantar Strait Pura is the largest and most inhabited island in the Alor/Pantar Strait. Its mountainous interior rises to 1,050 metres and the landmass is 4 nautical miles across. There are a few villages here, each having their own place of worship, either mosques or churches. The main industry appears to be fishing as can be seen by the large number or fish traps scattered around the reefs here. Due to its position the water temperatures at dives on Pura can vary considerably. Sometimes the southern sites are blasted with cold water from the south causing a lot of surprised looks on some faces, as well as some whispered oaths directed at the divemasters. Due to its location the island is constantly buffeted by strong currents and care has to be taken with site selection with a firm eye on moon and tidal information. The northern sites are generally the calmest with the southern shore sometimes hit with cold water and heavy swell from the open sea to the Sunset over Pura south. The reefs at Pura are in particularly good condition with little evidence of damage, probably because of the fishing methods the local people employ. During a dive it is not unusual to encounter spear fishermen as they go about their daily business – they are also happy to pose for photos too. Day 6: Daring to Dive The Dream and Muck Galore Alor Kecil, Kalabahi Sound Kalabahi Sound is the narrow body of water that leads up to the main town on Alor, Kalabahi. Both sides of the sound rise high from the waters edge up to hilly peaks. There is more habitation (and electricity) on the northern side and the whole area has a roadway close to the shore. Plenty of boat traffic uses the sound, small local ferries connect to the outlying areas and islands and fishing boats make daily trips out into the main Pantar/. Kalabahi is also a main port for the Pertamina petroleum organization and the ferry line. The bustling town has a number of facilities, the most important being a hospital and several pharmacies. There are some excellent muck/critter diving sites here, some well known to dive operators and others still to be The Pertamina Pier critter site in the Kalabahi Sound discovered.

Day 7: A New Critter Hunting Mecca Beangabang Bay, Pantar Nestling on the south eastern edge of the island of Pantar, Beang Bay forms a natural harbour, the two outer points stretching 800 metres across, north east to south west, surrounded by rolling hills and woodland. A small, primitive village is spread across the coast inside the bay, populated, it seems, mostly by children, who have a small school house sited back from the beach. There is a hot spring that empties into the bay below the schoolhouse and the black sand and rocks at the waters edge can become very hot indeed, particularly at low tide! The sparsely wooded slopes around the bay provide great opportunities for treks up onto the hilltops for spectacular views out over the to Treweg Island at the bottom of the Pantar/Alor strait and in the distance, the rocky coast of West to the south. There are several terrific dive sites here, both inside and outside the bay. The three main sites inside the bay are: Hot Property, Ribbon Eel Run and The Lava Flow, comprising between them coral reefs and volcanic sand The Komodo Dancer anchored inside Beangabang Bay and gravel areas, great for critter spotting and on a par with the some of the best dives at the Lembeh Strait. Night diving here can be particularly dramatic with the sea floor coming alive with juveniles such as boxfish, scorpionfish and waspfishes. The octopus that inhabit the shallows become very active at night too. The reefs on the outer edges of the bay are blessed with sparkling reefs, outcroppings and ledges again featuring a prolific array of marine life. The rocky layout and tubastraea corals growing on these sites are reminiscent of the more famous dives in the southern Komodo National Park. Day 8: Pristine Reefs and Fine Textiles Buaya, Alor/Pantar Strait Named for its shape, apparently it looks like a crocodile, this limestone island sits at the top of the Alor/Pantar Strait and there are some interesting dive sites here. To the west and the east are the two major dive sites and both of these feature great coral growth and spectacular deep walls. The north facing shore of the island features sandy bays separated by small rocky cliffs. There is a small fishing village on the south facing shore Crocodile Rock, south east Buaya of this pretty island which features a mosque and some settlement further up the hill. A big feature of a visit to Buaya are the textiles on display and sale here. The local women will paddle out in their canoes and boats to sell good quality spectacular and colourful Ikat weaves – prices are from Rp.200,000.

Day 9: A Real Sizzler Lewoleba Bay, Lembata Midway between eastern Flores and Alor lie the islands of Adonara and Lembata separated by the Boling Strait and both featuring high and active volcanoes. The main centre of commerce here is the town of Lewoleba that boasts a bustling market and busy inter island ferry terminal. We have pioneered a couple of dive sites on the northern coast of Adonara one of which has been a good hunting ground for Frogfish. The main attraction Koli Kedeh, east of the Sagu inlet at north Adonara in the area however is a site called Sizzler on the shores of Lembata in Lebaleba Bay. This small area has all of the attributes of sites in the Lembeh Strait with no crowds and an enviable critter list.

Day 10: A Sunken Reef and Mysterious Peninsula Serbete & Gedong, North Flores Gedong is the name given to a rocky outcropping on the north west side of Tangjung Bunga, North Flores. There is a good calm anchorage here on the western side surrounded by high forested cliffs and a rocky beach. The main dive sites are on the open sea side with wall, slopes and reef and feature some big fish too with sharks and mantas spotted on many dives. The wall on the north west side is sheer and covered in very colourful and abundant coral growth. Serbete is a shallow reef and sandbar complex to the east of Tanjung Gedong. There is a small island here with a lighthouse that is surround by dangerously shallow reefs, seamounts and sandbars. The complex has great corals on the reeftop and some fantastic wall diving. Day 11: Disembarkation Maumere, North Flores Our guests generally disembark early in the morning today after breakfast for the short flight back to Bali. For guests wishing to stay on longer there are some simple but comfortable resorts in Maumere Bay and land excursions are available, the best of which is a visit to the three coloured lakes in the craters of Keli Mutu volcano.

Please note: This itinerary is only an example and we may at times visit different areas than those shown in this document and we always operate with a keen eye on weather and sea conditions. Peter Hughes Diving 15291 NW 60 Avenue, Suite 201, Miami Lakes, Florida, 33014, USA

Telephone: 305-669-9391 - Fax: 305-669-9475 E-Mail: [email protected]

Websites: www.peterhughes.com

Indonesia Cruises PT Ombak Putih, Kuta Poleng A3, Jalan Setiabudi, Kuta, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Telephone: (62) 361 766269 - Fax: (62) 361 766546 E-Mail: [email protected]

Websites: www.paradise-dancer.com www.komododancer.com www.indonesiacruises.com

Designed, written and produced by: Garry Bevan Maps, photography and illustrations: Garry Bevan Special Alor Edition: 23rd March 2010