Expect the unexpected in Alor
A small, friendly dive centre on the Pantar Strait, one of the wildest and healthiest reef systems in Indonesia. Six guests on the boat, four divers per guide, long dives on reefs you will usually have to yourselves.
Nico, Tamar & the Alor crew
Lazy Turtle opened in 2018 in the fishing village of Alor Kecil. Since June 2022 it has been run by Nico, a French instructor and technical diver, and Tamar, an English diving manager with a weakness for nudibranchs, together with a crew of Alorese guides and captains.
We run one fast boat and keep it small on purpose. Sites are chosen the day before, for your interests, the tide and the moon, and we coordinate with the other operators so you rarely share a reef. Alor is best enjoyed by experienced divers, and we are happy to talk you through it before you book.
Alor Kecil · since 2018
Three dives a day, sixty minutes each
Two dives in the morning on reefs and walls, lunch on land, and a third dive in the afternoon, often muck. The boat ride never takes more than about half an hour, and we aim for dives of 60 minutes or longer.
Fun dives
Walls, pinnacles, caves and coral gardens on the Pantar Strait, in groups of no more than four per guide. Reef hooks and SMBs come with your gear.
Muck & night dives
Kalabahi Bay is a critter heaven: rhinopias, wonderpus, seahorses, frogfish and sea moths. Night dives on request.
Advanced & Nitrox
PADI Advanced Open Water in two days, Enriched Air in one, and a refresher if you have been out of the water for a while.
Snorkel on the boat
Non-diving partners can join the boat and snorkel unguided over shallow reefs while you dive. Half or full day.
A strait made for big surprises
The Pantar Strait is part of the Indonesian Throughflow, where the Pacific pours into the Indian Ocean. Deep, cold, nutrient-rich water comes up against the reefs, and with it come animals you cannot plan for.
Guests have also had blue whales between dives and dolphins around Kepa. None of it is guaranteed, and that is exactly the point.
Meet the crew
A small team that you will be on first-name terms with by the second dive, in the words of the guests who dived with them.
Nico
“I never saw someone diving as good as Nico. It seems like he never looks at you, but always knows where you are.”
Tamar
“It is guaranteed you will see lots of nudibranches and explanation about the different nudibranch species told by lovely Tamar.”
Mecry
“Our dive guide Makri was very friendly, pointed out lot…”
Jiman
“Easy going boat captain, Bang Jiman.”
Gun
“…and the best pirate crew, Gun.”
Ariyanto
The newest member of the boat crew, learning the strait one tide at a time.
Pick your dates by the moon
Alor's currents follow the tides, and the tides follow the moon. Around full and new moon the water moves fast and the big fish come in; around the half moons it is calmer. Choose your style, then see what your trip costs with our 2026 prices.
Month
Moon phases are calculated in your browser for Alor's time zone. Currents in Alor are never fully predictable, which is why our motto is "Expect the unexpected". We choose sites the day before for the conditions.
Based on the published Lazy Turtle price list for 2026 in Indonesian rupiah. Discounts combine up to a maximum of 20%. A double room at Marangki is shown as half the room price per diver. Euro amounts are a rough guide only. Final prices are confirmed by Tamar on booking.
More than 70 sites, three worlds
From pinnacles in raging current to black-sand muck in a sheltered bay, the strait changes character every few kilometres. These are some of the sites we love, grouped by area.
Warmer water over white, red and black sand, huge barrel sponges, big hard corals and delicate soft corals.
Cooler and rockier, with caves and swim-throughs, more algae, and a chance of threshers and wobbegongs.
Cryptic critters on sand and rubble: frogfish, seahorses, sea moths, rhinopias, wonderpus and stargazers.
The Alor Islands Marine Park fee is charged per day (or as an annual permit). Sites are chosen the day before, for conditions, other boats and what you want to see. All boat rides are around 30 minutes or less.
Village, boat, dolphins, hammerheads
Alor Kecil from the air, the ride out on Naughty Nudi, dolphins off Kepa and a school of hammerheads in the strait.
Who you might meet down there
From pygmy seahorses to sunfish, Alor covers the whole Indo-Pacific field guide. Tap any photo to see it larger.
Marangki Kepa Bungalows
Four thatched bungalows on tiny Kepa island, run by Lazy Turtle since 2024. The boat picks you up right in front of your bungalow, the cooks shop at the local market twice a week, and dolphins pass at high tide.
- All meals, water, tea and coffee included
- En-suite with Western toilet
- Solar power for lights and charging
- Darts, petanque and card games
- Sunset viewpoint a short walk away
- Friendly resident cats
Prefer air conditioning? We also book Lerebeng Homestay in Alor Kecil, three minutes from the shop, or Simfony Hotel in Kalabahi.
Open nine months, clear for most of them
We dive from mid-March to mid-December and close during the rainy months. April to November is usually dry and sunny, and visibility is often 30 m or more. Hammerheads gather mainly from March to May and from October to December.
- Water
- 24–28 °CUpwellings can drop to 17–20 °C, so ask for a hood.
- Visibility
- 30 m+Often excellent, with a few greener days after storms.
- Wetsuit
- 5 mm3 mm and 5 mm long suits, shorties and hoods to borrow.
- Currents
- None to wildStrongest around full and new moon, gentler at the half moons.
Remote, and worth every connection
Alor sits east of Flores and north of Timor. Most divers fly via Kupang, and we always recommend a buffer day before any important onward flight, because local flights can be cancelled at short notice.
Fly to Kupang
KOE · from Bali, Jakarta or SurabayaOnly early Jakarta flights connect the same day, so many guests spend a night in Kupang.
Kupang to Alor
Wings Air · 08:30 → 09:30Usually daily. Or take the KM Express Bahari ferry from Kupang on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, a full day at sea.
Drive to Alor Kecil
50–60 min from the airportWe arrange the car. From Kalabahi harbour it is 25–30 minutes.
Lazy Turtle & Kepa
Jalan Raya, Alor KecilA short local boat ride across to Kepa if you are staying at Marangki Bungalows.
Two dives, lunch, one more dive
- Out on Naughty NudiOur speedboat picks up at the shop and in front of the Kepa bungalows. Six guests, two guides.
- Reef or wallA detailed briefing, then a long dive of 60 minutes or more.
- An hour on the boatWater and homemade snacks while we move to the second site.
- Lunch on landA family-style lunch at the shop or at Marangki, and maybe a nap.
- Afternoon diveOften muck or a sheltered reef, back by 15:30–16:00 for darts, cards and a cold drink.
Giving back to the island
We live here, and we want Alor's reefs and villages to stay as special as they are. A few of the things we do beyond diving.
Sunday English lessons
We sponsor teacher Guru Flow's popular English classes in Kalabahi and the hill village of Wormanem. Guests are welcome to help with conversation practice.
Trash to treasure
Since 2023 we sort our waste and pay for collection. A local seamstress now turns trash from dive sites into wallets, bags and pouches, with profits going to community projects.
Alorese culture
Over 50 tribal languages, Tenun Ikat weaving and kenari nuts. We stock local crafts in the shop and can arrange village visits, hikes and a trip to see Mawar the dugong.
“If Alor is a pilgrimage site, Lazy Turtle has got to be its prophet”
You dive in small groups (usually 3 or 4) and we didn't repeat a dive site in our 14 dives.
There are nine dive shops active in Alor, and they try to coordinate dive sites… we were actually always the only ones at the sites.
We had a whale of the day… we were so lucky to have 2 blue whales between the dives.
We like the diving with Nico and Tamar so much that we extend our stay not only once, but twice!
In 17 dives we did not repeat any sites, and the boat trip never exceeded 30 minutes.
The food was the best I experienced in 5 weeks in Indonesia.
Message Tamar on WhatsApp
Spaces on the boat are limited, so book well in advance. Tell us your dates, your experience and what you want to see, and we will help with flights, transfers and where to stay.
- +62 821 4650 0881
- info@lazyturtledive.com
- Shop
- Jalan Raya, Desa Alor Kecil, Alor Barat Laut, Alor, NTT, Indonesia
- Season
- Mid-March to mid-December
Good to know: we don't teach beginners. If you have fewer than 50 dives, tell us about your experience before booking, and if you haven't dived for 12 months we'll start with a refresher.