Timor-Leste



Occupying 24,000 square kilometers on the eastern half of an island in the Timor Sea between Indonesia and Australia, East Timor has a population of approximately 800,000 people.

Maubara

Christo Rei East

Dili Rock West is different than its neighbor Dili Rock in the sense that it does not have areas of sandy bottom. On the contrary, the area is covered in hard and soft corals harboring many fish. In one area just west of the entry point there is a large expanse of the bulbous kind of staghorn or acropora coral which is always teaming with anthias and damselfish. This site is also very popular with anemones and their anemonefish (nemo) hosts.

Dili Rock West is located just past Dili rock dive site ont he northern coast road from Dili to Liquica. Coming from Dili you drive past the airport to an area called Tasi Tolu. After passing a military facility to your left you can start looking for the dirt tracks leading to the shore not far from the rock formation "Dili Rock". Once on the dirt tracks follow them to the West side of the rock. There is a small area you can park in near the statur in the form of a rock that greets people coming to Dili from the West.

The Entry requires a bit of walking on a dead coral shelf. Be careful to watch out for cracks in the rock surface. You will come to a ledge from which you can do a giant stride entry right into the coral reef area.

Dili Rock West

The Wall

Jim's Crack

Dili Rock is also known as Pedra de Dili.

Dili Rock

Secret Spot

Christo Rei

Donnie's Drop

36.3KM East of Dili. The turn off for Black Rock is right before the small ridge which overlooks Dollar Beach. Turn off the road and follow the tracks between the trees to the water.

There is a wall to the East of the rock with depths up to 20+ meters. There is a gradual decrease in depth going Eastward towards the rock. Once around the rock and on the return to the beach, there is a nice coral garden ranging from 3-5 meters depth.

Two large cracks in the wall on the East side of Black rock hold many fish in small caves in the sides of the wall. Also seen: lobster, nudibranchs (various).

Black Rock is a beautiful dive, but can be very challenging if the currents pick up during the dive. Consult the tide charts before you go. (See Tide Charts at left). Avoid times when the tide is changing especially during neap tides. Avoid diving here if the water looks as if it is "boiling". There can be three different currents acting on this site at the same time, Northward, Eastward and Westward.

The most popular entry is on the East side of the rock in order to circle around the rock to the West and then back to the beach. The first part of the entry is marked with a flat shelf of broken coral. At low tide this can make for a bit of a walk before it starts to get deep.

Maubara

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Maubara