Coral Reef Highlights- Discover Alor's Unique Marine Ecosystem -
Unique topography created many different habitats
Each area of the Pantar Strait is diverse with its own topography. Ternate Island is full of coral walls with shallow flat tops of hard coral backlit by white sand, while south Pura Island is covered in red volcanic sand and sloping fields of Anemone. Further south on the main island of Alor we can find black volcanic cliffs and caves extending from above the surface to underwater and full of orange and green soft corals. And that is just a taste.
There is always something to see
While Alor’s sites are known for their beautiful panoramas of dense coral, anemone and sponge coverage, they are not only for the wide-angle / big picture minded. Throughout the reef you can find unique macro life such as a wide variety of nudibranch, shrimps and crabs, anemone fish, eels, frogfish, leaf and bearded scorpionfish, pygmy seahorses and more. For the fishy fans, schools of black snapper and unicornfish, stingrays, sea snakes, reef sharks, and wide assortment of small fishes fill the reef.
Always remember to look into the blue
While we regularly visit 1 or 2 “big fish” dedicated sites, most of our encounters with larger animals happen suddenly and by looking up at just that right moment. It can require those perfect conditions or a good feeling, and always a bit of luck. These surprises can include eagle rays, barracuda, trevally, tunas, and if we are lucky even marlin, mola-mola, schools of hammerhead sharks or thresher sharks.
