Fish frenzy in Alor

We have yet to visit a snorkeling destination where the reefs possess literally thousands of fish on any given snorkel. Sure, many of our destinations have snorkel sites that promise (and deliver) thousands of reef fishes, but no one place be it Raja Ampat, Komodo, or even Palau can match the consistency and, at times, the number of reef fishes on any site, at any time. As a matter of fact, the sheer number of anthias on some of our snorkels probably dwarfs the total number of fish we see on any given day on any other tour.

We were flat out amazed every time we got in the water. Anthias and damselfishes, usual suspects along reef margins that catch a lot of current, were in concentrations that sometimes created a seemingly impenetrable wall in the water column. Snorkeling beneath the dense clouds fish would shade out the sunlight!

This was our second trip to the area and as we continue to learn more about it and the snorkeling opportunities that it offers, one thing seemed to be true: there are a lot of fish in the Alor archipelago and for anyone who loves to see colorful reefs alive with fish, visiting this destination should be at the top of the list. Did we mention rare critters as well? We’ll save that for another blog. Needless to say, we cannot wait to return to Alor! next year, and we plan to make it an annual destination.