Name: Maubara Fort, North Coast
Rating: 3.0

Timor-Leste

Beautiful dive sites less than 60km from the capital, Dili.  Visit this web site for images from dives in these spectacular sites. -- Nick Hobgood

https://timetravelbee.com/places/north-coast-of-timor-leste/

Maubara

Maubara Fort, North Coast

This site offers lots of nudibranchs, colonial anemones, sea fans, and hard corals. Don't blink or you'll something really cool like ghost shrimp on hydroids. 

Maubara is about located at about an hour drive from Dili on the North going West.  Once arrived in town, you will go over the bridge and soon after start looking for a shady grove of trees on the right.  There should be a dirt track leading to the trees.  This grove is a great area to gear up in the shade.  Be aware that you are in Maubara Town and you will most likely become that day's entertainment for the kids in the area. ( Who said diving isn't a spectator sport ?)

The entry is a gradual sandy slope leading to a nice coral garden with lots to see. 

Maubara Town

29.3km West of Dili. Find the Indonesian military graveyard for Indonesian soldiers killed during the 24-year occupation and park near the piles of white rocks.

To the West there are coral gardens with brain coral formations. To the East, the area is marked by a predominantly sandy bottom with large coral formations. The sandy bottom is covered with small holes where hot water and gas caused by geothermal activity are escaping.

A large coral formation to the NE of the entry point holds several Moray eels. The sandy area is often frequented by blue spotted rays.

There are no trees near the entry point but 100 - 120 meters to the West there is a large tree with good cover.

The entry is straight out from the NW corner of the enclosure. Gradual entry on small rocks and sandy bottom.

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.

Bubble Beach

During the day this site is most interesting in the shallow coral reef.  At night though is comes alive with critters.  Octopus, pygmy pipehorses, irridescent bobtail squids, all kinds of crustaceans.  Most critters are small so look below you in the sand and you will see them coming out to hunt for food. 

Sandy Bottom is about 45 minutes West of Dili. You have to look carefully on the left of the road until you get to a quarry.  Once you are at the quarry entrance look for dirt tracks leading to the beach.  You will have to drive through some thickets but will eventually see the beach. 

The entry is a gradual sandy bottom and is a sandy slope to about 25 meters depth.  On the East side of the slope there is a small coral reef in the shallows. 

Sandy Bottom is also known as Gravel Pit.

Sandy Bottom

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

Dili Rock is also known as Pedra de Dili.

Dili Rock

Tasi Tolu is a small critter dive site.  It is especially interesting at night when many burrowing crabs, crustaceans and cephalopods come out of the sand to look for food.  The slope is a very gradual sandy bank and one must be carefull to check depth to avoid going too deep. 

It is not uncommon to see rhinopias, sea horses, frogfish and harlequin ghost pipefish.  At night, small octopus and well camouflaged pink soft coral crabs often highlight the dive.  

The site is only 15-20 minutes from the center of Dili.  The turn off is located after having passed the road to the airport and is basically where the ocean is first visible.  You turn to the right on a dirt track and can park your car 10 m from the water.  The entry is a very easy gradual sandy entry. 

Tasi Tolu

Pertamina Pier is a great site when the visibility is good.  Since it is close to the mouth of the river, it is advisable not to dive right after a rain. Long shore currents can be rather strong in this area.  Do not dive when a fuel boat is parked for fueling at the end of the pier. Make sure you take a dive knife with you are here are nets and fishing line caught amongst the pillars of the pier. 

The end of the pier is a fantastic place for marine life.  The closely spaced pillars are covered in soft corals hosting all kinds of nudibranchs, eels, lionfish, octopus and harlequin ghost pipefish.  Given the density of animals in this area, the pier is visited by schools of barracuda, trevally and sweetlips hunting for food. 

Drive along the ocean front road in Dili.  Once at the end of the oceanfront you will have to dog leg to the left around the Pertamina fuel facility.  Take the next dirt road to the right and follow it until it goes to the beach. Once on the beach turn right to get access to the pier.  There is a big tree there for shade. The entry is easy with a gradual sand bottom.  To get past the tidal area to the best visibility, you must swim the length of the pier to the end. It is a good distance but worth it.  

Pertamina Pier

Halfway between the two entries to the parking lot for the Christo Rei statue climb there is a small tree with a rock step stone going to the beach.   The entry is characterized by a good distance of broken coral bottom marked by locally made rock-walled fish traps.  During low tide, one must walk quite some distance before reaching adequate depth.  

To the East of the entry there is a resident Blue Moray eel in one of the coral formations. Also seen: Black tipped reef sharks, blue groper, blue spotted rays, very large slipper crab.

Beware of strong currents beyond the point at the North end of the site. 

A great site only 10 minutes by car from Central Dili. Approximately 6KM East of Dili.  On the beach road almost to the end under the Christo Rei statue overlooking Dili. 

Cristo Rei



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.

Christo Rei

The site is covered in many different kinds of coral.  Big schools of bumphead wrasse have been spotted here.  In the 5-10 meter zone there are many giant clams with irridescent colors.  This site is also a great nudibranch zone. 

This side of Christo Rei is a 20 minute drive from Dili center.  You must take the road towards Baucau and once over the first hill there is a turn-off to the left onto a gravel road.  Take the gravel road and drive along the coast for 10 - 15 minutes until you reach the end at a very nice beach.  There are some scrubby trees on the beach that offer some shade where you can gear up. 

The best entry point is in about the middle of the bay in a sandy/sea grass area.  Be careful where you step as that is where Charlie the seahorse was spotted clinging to a blade of sea grass.  The entry is gradual and will then turn to a nice small wall of coral that follows the coast most of the way around the bay. 

Cristo Rei East is also known as Bakside of Cristo Rei.

Cristo Rei East

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Year-round 72 degrees, very silty bottom. Visibility can be low if many divers are in diving area. Semi-cavern, never made it into diving bell due to poor visibility, and low confidence. Cool catfish under platforms.

Maubara Fort, North Coast

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Maubara Fort, North Coast