It’s well known that the Alor Archipelago is packed with stunning dive sites. Our sites to the north and south offer vibrant, healthy corals, incredible biomass and diversity, the chance to see pelagics and cetaceans as well as a plethora of critters. Imagine if all of this was available on our house reef too… well it is! You’ll find a beautiful sloping reef, stunning hard coral bommies, and white sandy flats punctuated with canyons and coral outcroppings. It’s well worth making a few visits to our house reef in order to explore all that is on display. Read on to take a deeper dive into our beautiful SAVU South Alor House Reef.
Accessing the House Reef
For snorkelers and freedivers, the house reef is best accessed from either the jetty or directly from the beach – it’s as simple as that. Simply step off the beach into a mesmerizing underwater world that is bursting with colour and teeming with life.
We highly recommend that everyone staying with us (divers, snorkelers, freedivers, whale watchers, nature enthusiasts etc) take the time for at least one snorkel on our house reef. It’s easy to access and a great way to explore without fuss and with limited preparation, let us know your plans, don your mask and fins, and go and explore!
Snorkeling and Freediving the SAVU South House Reef
For snorkelers, whether entering via the jetty or from the beach, the house reef has three main sections: 1) The Jetty, 2) The Mid-Sections, and 3) The Southern Section.
Each of these sections offers something different – which is why we recommend visiting more than once, so that you can fully explore each area and the marine life that inhabits each section.
1) The Jetty
When snorkeling around the jetty, you’ll find a range of both hard and soft healthy corals and an abundance of fish. Small to medium sized reef fish are particularly abundant in this area, including butterflyfish, angelfish, parrotfish, Moorish idols, and damsels. Look out for moray eels among the reef and you may spot occasional lionfish, scorpionfish, or stingrays on the bottom. This area is also where you’ll find the most juvenile fish in the shallows.
2) The Mid-Sections
This is one of our favourite sections for exploring! There are rolling canyons that are a dream come true for snorkelers and freedivers. If you are planning to freedive here, let us know your plans so we can ensure you have everything necessary for safe and enjoyable dives. For snorkelers, swimming over the canyons is simply stunning and you’ll find a wide range of Indo-Pacific reef fish. Look out for crustaceans hiding out, including spiny lobsters’ antennae giving away their hiding places!
3) The Southern Section
This is what we call our ‘hard coral heaven’ and as the name suggests, the reef here is packed with hard corals including plate, stone, brain, and table corals. The corals provide habitat for an immense array of fish and critters. Look out for our resident leaf scorpionfish, mantis shrimps, nudibranch, occasional ribbon eels, octopus and an occasional passing sea turtle. Take your time when exploring this section, the closer you look, the more you will see!
Scuba Diving the SAVU South House Reef
For scuba divers, the house reef is dived as a boat dive which gives us the easiest access to some of the deeper sections of the reef. The reef slopes down… and down!
At around 30meters/100feet there is a large cave which is often ‘guarded’ by a massive marbled stingray that is known among our team as the Gatekeeper! Assuming he allows you to pass, it’s always worth taking a look in the cave to see what’s hiding or taking a rest inside! Looking out to the blue we often see giant trevallies, hunting tuna, occasional passing mobulas and a ‘fish soup’ of densely packed fusiliers. We’ve even had several mola mola encounters on our house reef too!
When we are not being distracted by the schooling fish and the action in the blue, the reef is just as awe inspiring. For anyone who loves critters or macro underwater photography, there is a treasure trove of smaller inhabitants to hunt for among the corals. One of the ‘critter highlights’ of the house reef is the Pontohi pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus pontohi) which are found here – including the endemic Alor colour variation. You can also expect to find a variety of commensal shrimps and other crustaceans, octopus, cuttlefish (Sepia sp.), a rainbow of nudibranchs, and all manner of macro photography subjects.
Night Diving the SAVU South House Reef
When the sun begins to set, many of our critters are just getting started! The house reef is home to a wealth of unique nocturnal critters that never fail to disappoint. Our night dives are particularly special and to ensure the best dive experiences possible we night dive according to the conditions. If you would like to night dive during your stay with us, let us know in advance and we can advise about possible availability.
During some of our most spectacular night dives we have seen non-stop critter action from entry to safety stop. Possible night dive sightings include broadclub cuttlefish, a variety of octopus, nudibranch, hunting moray eels, marble rays, bobtail squid, lobsters, sponge and decorator crabs, and look out for sleeping parrotfish in their saliva bubbles.
On house reef night dives, the fun isn’t finished at the safety stop – as we turn off our lights and agitate the water, we end the dive in a cloud of bioluminescent plankton!
Book Your Alor House Reef Dives or Snorkeling with Us
Are you ready to book your next snorkeling or diving holiday with us? Stay with us Savu South Alor and enjoy our barefoot luxury, personal service, and phenomenal snorkel and dive sites – as well as our stunning house reef!
We offer sustainable accommodation and farm to table dining combined with years of experience in exploring and diving the Alor Archipelago. Our commitment to conservation and marine protection is borne out of our passion for the ocean – something we love to share with our guests!
If you would like to join us for snorkeling, freediving or scuba diving in south Alor contact us at: info@savusouthalor.com or fill in our contact form. We look forward to welcoming you to SAVU South Alor soon.
