Manatuto

Timor-Leste

Once in the water you can gradually descend to the west where you will run into a big "field" of stag horn coral.  This species of stag horn coral is the bulbous round type and is home to many fish.  Groups of anthias like to hang out here.  In the top reaches of this patch of coral around 4-5 meters depth you can find an anemone city where what seem like hundreds of tomato anemonefish have come to live in their anemone homes. 

Black tipped reef sharks, turtles, manta rays, napoleon wrasse, sea horse, stone fish.  This used to be the home of a giant tridacna clam an estimated 1.3 meters long.  The clam has been killed and only the giant shell remains. 

The site is located 47.1km East of Dili.  It is located in a small rock covered cove before a sharp turn in the road.  Known as "One tree" because there is one lone tree on the beach in this little cove.  The entry is a gradual slope at the beginning but quickly drops off.  No need for lots of walking or swimming at this site. 

Itihuli

One Tree

UW profile 

The entry to the site is rather rocky.  If the surge is bad or there is considerable wave action, you should consider another dive site as getting out here can be challenging and potentially dangerous with surge and waves.  Once in the water you can to the west where the gradual slope quickly gets steeper and changes into a wall.  On this wall there are lots of corals and animals.   

Points of interest 	

On the rock wall you will find cup corals, and soft corals including lots of sea squirts.  This is a great place for a night dive where the wall lights up with the reds and oranges from the blooming polyps of nocturnal corals.  Small reef sharks and blue ribbon eels have been seen at this site. 

Topside  	

Directly to the East there is a pebble strewn beach good for taking strolls.  The area is close to the road and not very private, though. 

Located 46.2km from Dili at the base of a small 34 house village.  On the south side of the road and above the dive site is a thorn tree with a locally made bench underneath it.  There is a makeshift turnout right after the tree when one or two vehicles can be parked.

The entry is sometimes hard to find because there is quite a bit of grass growing between the road and the water.  Look carefully and you will find a path that fishermen use to get to the water.  Follow this path to the waters edge.  There are lots of large boulders at the entry and caution must be taken not to slip. 

The Wall

Just another great dive site with loads of coral and fish life. Current can be tricky, but usually fine if you don't go past the point (like all dive sites on the North coast).
Watch out for whales during their migration season (Nov - Jan)

Go 47 kms east of Dili. Road curves around a wooded grove. At the track and sign turn left. Short four wheel drive track, but lovely grove.


Bob's Rock is also known as Behau Forest.

Bob's Rock

42.0KM East of Dili. Enter the area enclosed by a wall. The entrance is rocky and care should be taken when entering with a vehicle with low clearance.

To the West the coral is more of an expansive coral cover with small outcroppings whereas to the East, the area is characterized by larger coral outcroppings in a more sandy area.

Alternating small walls and sandy slopes. Resident Napoleon wrasse to the East of the entry.

On the surface, there is a nice shady area with big trees and gazebo. The area is often frequented by people from the local village who are interested in watching divers.

One can enter the water at the small gazebo-like structure in the enclosure. The first few meters is rocky leading to sandy bottom and then on to coral structures.

Behau Village



It has the choice of an easy beach entry at all tides and natural "steps" cut through the western end of the wall that can be used at high tides. 

K57 is also known as Jim's Crack.

Stronger current on outer part of wall can be encountered; critter spotting area ideal for gassing off at end of dive and safety stop.

The wall on the Eastern side of the entrance at K41 it a diver's Disneyland at night. The surface of the area comes to life with brightly colored cup corals and other night dwelling animals. One can spend a whole dive inspecting a two square meter patch of the wall and see dozens of creature and corals.

Located 41 km East of capital Dili; main road from Dili to Bacao; shaded beach area; good for family outing and barbecues as well as overnight camping

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.

Black Rock

 This dive site is a bit hidden at 34.8km East of Dili. It is located behind a grove of palm trees.  One must drive slowly once the grove of trees is see form the road because the dirt track leading through the trees to the beach is not well marked. 

Once in the water, the best direction to take is East if you are interested more in corals.  To the West the coral is not as abundant and soon the area is dominated by sandy rubble.  On either side the slope tends to drop off rather quickly to 20-25 meters. 

This site is nudibranch central.  It is rare to dive at this site and not come up wondering if you just discovered a new species of sea slug.  Lots of coral formations and to the East of the site there is lots of coral cover on the slopes. 

An excellent picnic spot for family and non-diving friends as there are several shade trees in the sandy area close to the beach.  Be careful at low tide when the coral is close to the surface and could scratch passing swimmers. 

This site has a relatively long, shallow entry.  It takes some distance to get to deeper water but well worth it.  Try not to come at low tide when some of the coral is very close to the surface and could make getting across it a bit challenging. 

Secret Spot is also known as Secret Garden.

Secret Spot

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



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

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. 

One Tree

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at One Tree