5D4N Scuba At East-Timor Leste
The area has a dry tropical climate and moderate rainfall. Hilly areas are covered with sandalwood. Scrub and grass grow in the lowlands, together with coconut palms and eucalyptus trees.
There are hot springs and numerous mountain streams. Wildlife includes the cuscus (a species of marsupial), monkeys, deer, civet cats, snakes, and
crocodiles.
Introduction
East Timor-Leste is bounded by the Timor Sea to the southeast, the Wetar Strait to the north, the Ombai Strait to the northwest, and western Timor (part of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara) to the southwest.
The eastern part of Timor island is rugged, with the mountains rising to 9,721 feet (2,963 metres) at Mount Tatamailau (Tata Mailau) in the centre of a high
plateau.
The area has a dry tropical climate and moderate rainfall. Hilly areas are covered with sandalwood. Scrub and grass grow in the lowlands, together with coconut palms and eucalyptus trees.
There are hot springs and numerous mountain streams. Wildlife includes the cuscus (a species of marsupial), monkeys, deer, civet cats, snakes, and
crocodiles.
Tetum and Portugese are official languages. English and Indonesian are also widely spoken throughout Timor-Leste.
Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, formerly known as Comoro International Airport, is an airport located in Dili, the capital of East Timor.
Do allow 1 week time for processing, booking for accommodation and for dive trips.
Dive Site Information
Dive Sites Available :
The Gravel Pit.
Seal Rock
Maubara Church
Maubara Fort
Bubble Beach
Dan ́s Sandy Bottom
Coast Dive Sites East
East of Dili, divers can experience shore diving at its best.
Easy access along the coast allows divers safe entry to great wall dives.
Secret Garden, K41, Bob’s Rock and Lone Tree are some of the amazing dives that can be done.
Approximately 40 min East of Dili the diving starts and continues as far as some 100km away. The variety of dives along this stretch of road is endless yet K41 and Lone Tree are among the favorites of the local divers.
Dive Sites :
Secret Garden
Black Rock
K 41
K 41 East
Behau Village
Bob ́s Rock
Marble Rock
One Tree
Lone Tree
Dirt Track
K 57
Local Dive Sites Near Dili
The area around Dili offers the diver some excellent close dives with great variety. Easy to schedule local dive trips at any time with our flexible schedules to fot yours. Only 5 minutes from our dive centre is Pertamina Pier,
one of East Timor’s best dives for critters, octopus and schooling batfish.
Diver’s are always surprised when they first dive it and the amount of what is seen at a dive site within Dili!
Just 10 minutes west of Dili is Dili Rock East & West known for its easy access and great conditions with a variety of sandy bottom and excellent corals Dili
East also offers great opportunities to see macro critters and loads of colourful reef fish.
Along the same beach lies Tasi Tolu, Timor’s premier muck diving option with sea horses and many other photographer favourites on this mostly sandy bottom. Roda Reef an artificial reef project built by DTL good for
frogfish, nudis and more macro. Both sites sea grass shallows attract dugongs throughout the year!
Travellling east of Dili you can find both Front and Back Side of Christ Rei offering excellent coral reefs with huge varieties of fishlife. The Pinnacle is a local boat dive that is known for pelagics, turtles and stingrays!
Dili Rock West
Dili Rock East
Roda Reef
Tasi Toluet
Pertamina Pier
Pinnacle
Front Side of Christo Rei
Back Side of Christo Rei
East Timor-Leste
Great for:
Advanced, Photography
Highlights:
All sorts of cool critters, species of nudibranchs, giant puffer fish, ornate
ghost pipe fish, common sea horse, pygmy pipe horse, frog fish, cuttle fish, squid, coconut octopus, octopus and moray eels amongst the usual crustaceans that live in the area. Great dive!
Depth: 5m – > 40m
Visibility:
July to October
20 – 30m
Currents:
Can be strong
Surface conditions:
Calm
Water temperature:
27– 29°C
Number of dive sites:
>15
Experience level:
Beginner – Advanced
Recommended Length of stay:
4 to 7 days
Tropical Climate of hot and humid weather with distinct wet and dry season.
Wet season runs from December to April
with daytime temperatures between 30 to 35 degree celcius, dropping to low 20’s overnight. Heavy rains
can cause flood and landslides which can limit travel by road.
Dry Season : May to November.
Average Temperature in the dry season is 20
to 33 degree celcius.
Temperature in the mountains is cooler with overnight temperatures dropping to 15 degree celcius or less at higher altitudes.
Diving activity is conducted whole year round. However , visibility might be low after heavy downpours in the wet season.
Room prices are accommodation only : Guest Houses are available for short or long term bookings.
Dive Itinerary : (Based on the number of dives you like to go for.)
Day 1 : Flight itinerary will be provided, check into Changi airport and then fly to Dili. Check into the accommodation venue and go for lunch, rest then tour around. Rest early for the night after dinner. Prepare for the dive trip the next morning.No. of dive/s to go for and dive site will be selected upon discussion with the diver center operator and instructor.
Day 2 : 7am Gather at the meeting place - Dive Center. Boat will departure for
dive site, depending on the weather and site condition.
Day 3 : 7am Gather at the meeting place - Dive Center. Boat will departure for
dive site, depending on the weather and site condition.
Day 4 : 24 hrs before flight, no dive or alcohol allowed
What's Included
• 2 way land transfer between Singapore to Dili to Resort
• Breakfast and lunch included
• Air tanks and weights provided for each dive trip
•All the government taxes inclusive of Dive Equipment Rental (Excluding Dive Computer and Torch)
What's Excluded
• Air fare between Singapore and East Timor-Leste
• Dinner
• Dive Travel Insurance
• Crew Gratuties and Marine Park fees
Dive Trip Requirements
Able to snorkel/swim in the sea
Minimum of PADI Open Water Diver Certification or equivalent (for leisure diver)
• Kindly indicate if you need a DM or Dive Guide or Instructor to accompany you for the dive trip.
For deeper dive/s, require Advanced Open Water Certifications and higher.
No Twinset tank dive trips available. Nitrox tanks can be requested.
For Technical Diving dives, additional charges required for the engagement of Technical diver instructor.
How to Get There
• By Air From to Singapore to Dili (Direct) or Sg to Bali, Bali to Dili (Flight)
• Fly from Darwin to Dili
Payment Terms
SGD 100 deposit required upon confirmation of booking of accommodation and dive trip.
Payment payable once upon confirmation of booking of accommodation and or with dive trip package/s.
Equipment Rental
Rates (SGD)/ Per Day
Dive Torch : SGD 10
Dive Computer : SGD 15
Dive Computer - D4i : SGD 30
Camera : SGD 35
Disclaimer
Estimated rates for booking, Exact cost of dive trip booking depends on each dive itinerary and arrangement package. Invoice on the payment details will be sent to your personal email account upon booking.
Includes Boat transport, and for each pax meal - Breakfast, Lunch and transport back and forth to your hotel or resort or hostel accomodation.
If you will like to book for the accomodation for a stay for 1 Night or more for yourself and family members or for a tour group etc. , please indicate for your accomodation booking, for the number of days/nights
of stay here in Singapore, and we will arrange for you.
Subjective to availability.
An invoice will be sent to you via email on the separate payment charges for accomodation stay.
Applicable to local and foreign visitors :
• The arrangement of the sequence of the itinerary is subject to change with/without prior notice.
• In the event that the venue of attraction is closed to visitors, it will be replaced with an alternative venue if possible.
• May request for travel itinerary from us via email.
• During trade fairs or the peak season, accommodation stay may not be inclusive.
All dive trip/s are subjected to the weather conditions and change in itinerary.
If the dive trip unfortunately has to postpone or cancelled, there can be a request for arrangement for another dive trip. Subjected to approval and availability of boat charters.
Cancellation Policy
Any change in trip dates after booking confirmation will be subjected to
SGD 100 administrative fees per change/s. Full fees will be charges for
packages cancelled or postponed with less than 28 days notice.
If you cancel less than 28 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, full
payment will be non-refundable. If more than 28 days, 50% of the package
price will be forfeited with an administrative charge of SGD 50 Payable to the
dive shop.
If you cancel at least 7 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is
no cancellation fee.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure,
there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100
percent cancellation fee.
* The timings are as estimated proposed. Diving trip is
subjected to road/traffic/tide/weather conditions on the day of trip.
Additional Information
Confirmation will be received at time of booking.
All dive trip/s are subjected to the weather conditions and change in itinerary.
If the dive trip unfortunately has to postpone or cancelled, there can be a request for arrangement for another dive trip.
Subjected to approval and availability of boat charters.
Meals:
Cuisine of East Timor
In East Timor the gastronomy is mostly influenced by Southeast Asian foods and the Portuguese typical dishes from its period under Portuguese influence. Regional popular ingredients are pork, basil, vegetables, fish, rice,
corn, tropical fruit and root vegetables.
Popular dishes in East Timor
As many other countries in the region the food is typical divided into two different categories: non-vegetarian and vegetarian. Since agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the country, the cuisine uses mainly rice
(since its largely homegrown). Other types of main bases for the dishes of East Timor are sweet potatoes, corn, cassava (type of mandioca) and taro. To add up to the base of every dish there is usually a vegetable component, also with home grown products such as cow-peas, onions, spinach and cabbage.
In East Timor is common for the family to domesticate some sort of live stock, hence you know that this will also be a part of their cuisine. Commonly, you find the dishes combine pigs, poultry and goats. Together with meat, fish also occupies a huge range of food (since after agriculture is the nations second biggest sector). Usually the fish is fried and prawns are considered a national delicacy.
Below there are a couple of national dishes in case you want to give it a try yourself at home before you eat the real food:
• Batar Da’an – a mix of pumpkin, corn and beans(recipe here)
• Ikan Sabuko
• Tapai – slightly alcoholic made with fermented rice (recipe here)
• Katupa – rice on coconut milk
•Tukir
Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should be boiled or sterilised. It is recommended to drink bottled water. In the tropics it is important to drink plenty of non alcoholic fluids to avoid dehydration.
Passport & Visa Requirements
Visitors who are nationals of British, Australian, Canadian, USA and other EU countries require valid passports with at least 2 blank pages and a tourist visa valid for 30 days. Visas will be issued on arrival for a fee of USD 30 cash. There are no money exchange or ATM Facilities at the airport.
Tourist visas are easily available when you arrive in Dili Airport or Dili port for $30 US currency, cash only. Direct international flights are provided in Bali (Indonesia), Darwin (Australia), and Singapore. Entry Visa is $30 US which is paid on arrival and the airport departure tax is $10 US.
Valid passport and Visa (if applicable)
The currency of Timor - Leste is the US Dollar.
USD notes produced. Prior to 2006 are not accepted. Credit cards are accepted at most hotels however restaurants do not allow you to run a tab before taking USD cash is recommended.
East Timor - 1 AUD = Approximately 0.73 USD
(Last Updated on June 2017)
Euro exchange rate :
€1 = $1.44
$1 = € 0.70
Both Australian ANZ bank and the Portuguese Banco National Ultramarino have branches in Dili. Banking hours are 930am to 330pm from Monday to Friday. ATM can be found in Dili. Traveler’s cash are not widely
accepted.
Medical and Health Requirements :
Hospital facilities exist in the capital Dili. Malaria and dengue fever are a problem in Timor-Leste and anti malarial precautions are highly recommended. Remember that some medications can make you sun sensitive so take extra care that skin is protected from sun burn. Please
check with your physician for the best precautions to be taken. (For further details, contact Travel Vax on 1300 360 164).
Travel Insurance(recommended but optional)
