Atauro Dive Resort in East Timor
Atauro Dive Resort in East Timor (Timor Leste) is a small, simple resort located directly on the beach on Atauro Island just north of the East Timor mainland. There are beautiful and untouched reefs where you can dive and snorkel. Or you can choose to just relax in a hammock in the shade and enjoy the breeze. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced diver, you can get good diving here at Atauro Dive Resort even though East Timor may seem advanced. The resort overlooks the beautiful strait and sea between Atauro Island and the East Timor mainland. The accommodation is simple and there are a total of eight unique bungalows and rooms for backpackers to stay in.
Fantastic diving
Atauro Island is located in the so-called coral triangle and offers good and varied diving. The marine environment is dramatic with, among other things, wall diving that plunges down to thousands of meters. There are slopes and gardens that are covered with soft corals. Places with large pinnacles that create a labyrinth to swim around and that create a fascinating diving environment. Everywhere there are gorgonians, sponges and whip corals and mixed with hard and soft corals.
The reefs are covered with healthy, colorful and thriving corals and sponges. Marine life is a combination of both small and large. What you can see is everything from pygmy seahorses and nudibranchs to the real beasts of the sea, whales. In East Timor's deep waters there is a natural passage where whales swim past during their migrations. The reefs on Atauro Island are today the most biologically rich reefs in the world. They actually count more species of fish than what Raja Ampat in Papua in Indonesia did before and who then held the record.
Diving trips to East Timor and Atauro Dive Resort are easiest to do by stopping at Bali a few days. Contact us then we will arrange your diving trip. Maybe clean that you combine with a liveaboard in Indonesia.
Diving with the resort
The experienced dive guides ensure that you have a fantastic diving experience. It is possible to dive all year round and visibility is normally good all year round. As a rule, visibility is between 20-50 meters. The resort offers three to four dives per day. You can do two dives in the morning and two dives in the afternoon including one night dive. There is also a very nice house reef where you and other guests can snorkel or do your own shore dives. The house reef Haruina is today the world's most species-rich reef and is located right in front of the resort.
All dives made at Atauro are otherwise boat dives. The various dive sites are between 2 minutes and 60 minutes' drive from the diving resort. All diving in East Timor takes place with land-based accommodation today, but it probably won't be long before liveaboarders find their way here too. The diving boat used by the resort is a 9 meter long aluminum boat specially made for diving. It is spacious and can accommodate a total of 14 divers including guides.
Whale watching tours between September and November.
Every year, usually between September and November, hundreds of blue whales, sperm whales and other cetaceans migrate from the Banda Sea to the Indian Ocean along the north coast of East Timor. During this time, encounters with whales are common. It is sometimes possible to snorkel with them. During the rest of the year, encounters with pilot whales, melon-headed whales and other dolphin species are possible.
