Alor Snorkeling & Shallow Freediving Workshop

12 nights

Duration

May

Month

12 People

Max Group Size

Journey with us to this remote corner of Indonesia for an extraordinary experience, where you will not only get to explore some of the richest reefs in Indonesia, but you will also have the opportunity to learn the art of freediving from one of the world’s leading freediving instructors.

We have been visiting Alor for many years and it continues to be one of our most exciting and interesting locations. Situated in the heart of the Coral Triangle you can expect many hours of snorkeling over pristine hard and soft coral reefs that are just exploding with life big and small. What’s more is that the excitement doesn’t stop when we exit the water, as residential pods of dolphins are frequently spotted throughout the snorkeling season, not to mention the fact that several species of whale-including the blue whale, who migrate through this area and can be seen from the boats, and even have been known to pass in front of the resort.

Over the years we have become very familiar with Alor. The area’s unique and varied underwater topography creates the perfect training grounds for those just learning to duck dive, while still offering steep slopes and walls for those wanting to venture a bit deeper. Even though there can be currents at times in the Alor, there are plenty of places for us to hide from it as we go about our freediving tutorials.

For the duration of the tour, we’ll base ourselves on the secluded island of Alor in a beautiful boutique resort which we have chartered exclusively for this tour. As we float and dive down on the stunning fields of corals we’ll encounter a huge variety of marine life with no shortage of opportunities to find some of the ocean’s most interesting critters like nudibranchs, octopus, and a variety of scorpionfish.

Private boat trips take you to the most outstanding snorkel spots in the area and exotic marine life is guaranteed. All of this from the comforts of a beautiful resort in complete seclusion.

The resort also has an impressive house reef which is easily accessible and is a great freediving training site.

Trip Leader and Instructor

Emma Farrell is one of the world’s leading freediving instructors and the author of One Breath: A Reflection on Freediving. She has been teaching since 2003 and is a multi-agency freediving instructor trainer, having taught programs through RAID, SSI, and AIDA. As a founding member of the AIDA Education Commission, Emma has written courses that are taught internationally, as well as her own specialty freediving and breathing courses.

Her work with gold medal-winning Olympic and Paralympic athletes over the last decade has resulted in her unique Breathing Optimisation program, which has helped people across the globe improve their breathing, lung function, and health, no matter their age, physical condition, or ability.

An accomplished educator and public speaker, Emma has appeared many times on television and in print media, as well as acting as a consultant on short and feature films and documentaries.

Is this Trip Right for Me?

Whilst there are no formal requirements, the trip would appeal most to experienced snorkelers with 25hrs + in-water time and being of good health and fitness.

The maximum depth for the free diving sessions will be 8 meters (26 feet) so this is also not about achieving depth. Generally, training sessions will be geared towards exploring the 5-meter depth range and achieving a good body position.

Marine Life Guide

marine life guide alor

This tour is partnered with the Manta Trust. Find out how we support the Manta Trust via this tour here.

13th May 2025 - Arrive in Jakarta

Arrive at Jakarta International Airport. You will be met after collecting your bags and transferred to an airport hotel where you can check in and relax. There’ll be a group dinner that first evening in the hotel’s restaurant which is a great time for everyone to meet one another and have a quick briefing on how the following days are going to go from Emma and her assistant.

14th May 2025 - Travel to Alami Alor Resort

Check in for your flight to Alor Airport via Kupang, where you will be met by an Alami Alor representative and transferred by car to the resort, about 45 – 60 minutes away.

Once at the resort, you will be shown to your room and given an orientation and safety briefing, along with lunch. Alami Alor Resort

Time and interest dependent, you will have an opportunity to have a guided snorkel on the resort’s house reef. The house reef is accessed via Alami’s own private pier which has an easy-to-climb ladder for comfortable entry or exit. The house reef is pretty spectacular and usually ends up being one of the highlights of the trip as the reef is just in front of the resort and is home to juvenile blacktip reef sharks, a school of jacks and spadefish, a colony of mandarin fish, and loads of cool critters. The beauty of the house reef is that you can snorkel it at your leisure, any time you want. As it’s in a protected area and has shallow sections as well as deeper sections, not to mention the added convenience of the resort’s pier and ladder, it also makes for the perfect freediving training grounds.

15th May - 23rd May - Snorkeling from Alami Alor Resort

Each morning at Alami Alor start with Western and Indonesia style breakfasts, fresh Indonesian coffee, fruit juice, or coconut milk.

You’ll then head to the boats and head out to the morning’s snorkeling site. Groups are split into six per boat with at least one guide per group, often two, as well as the freediving instructors. You start with easy sites – as little current as possible to allow for a gentle introduction. The time to reach the sites ranges from 10 – 30 minutes.

Each snorkel session will last between 60 and 90 minutes in the water with boat support if you prefer a shorter session. The group will always head back to the resort for lunch with most guests taking a quick siesta following the delicious meal. For those that want to absorb every single moment of this amazing resort, you can relax on the verandah and watch the villagers pass by on their hand-dug canoes, or you can jump back in on the house reef for even more reef action. In the afternoon you’ll head to another site for more incredible snorkeling.

There’s the flexibility to snorkel the house reef at your leisure with a local crew on hand as a lookout. Likewise, there will often be sunset or night snorkels on offer, on the house reef, as it’s an excellent spot for critters like nudibranchs and various crustaceans who come out in the evenings. Mandarin fish can also be seen mating in the shallows as the sunsets.

Alor is a very special place for snorkeling as the area offers a huge variety of reefs and interesting marine life. Throughout the week you will be snorkeling and diving down to explore shallow reef tops, sloping reefs, walls, and several piers which act as a safe haven for schools of fish and some really interesting species like frogfish. No two reefs are alike in Alor, you can expect to encounter fields of volcanic rocks completely covered in anemones, swim along walls bursting with orange anthias and carpeted in colorful hard and soft corals, and you’ll explore expansive hard coral reefs which come right up to the surface. The marine life is equally diverse and offers a bit of everything from schooling fish, reef sharks, endless beautiful reef fish, and with a bit of luck an ocean sunfish or mola-mola.

All meals are served at a long table and are served family style. The food is all prepared by excellent local cooks with locally sourced ingredients where you will have the opportunity to experience some of Indonesia’s finest dishes.

Fresh bread, cookies, and an assortment of deserts dessert are baked daily. There is also a tea and coffee-making station with fruits and snacks available throughout the day too.

A selection of soft drinks, wine, beer, and cocktails are available every evening and are charged to your account.

24th May 2025 - Departure Day

After breakfast, you will be driven to the airport for your flight back to Jakarta via Kupang. Emma will escort you to the hotel where you can check in and relax before your flights out the following day.

Onward extensions can be arranged with our travel team. Please check with our travel team before booking any international flights for this tour.

Freediving Lessons

Freediving instruction outline

Emma Farrell will be running snorkel skills and freediving sessions throughout your time in Alor. Guests will be split into groups and will have the opportunity to learn in-water skills over sessions as below:

For the first session, the focus will be on correct breathing, weighting, and safety for freediving and for taking photos underwater and exploring the reefs. Emma will look at each individual’s equalization, body positioning, finning, duck diving, and technique. Correct breathing both before and after the dive will be taught as well as techniques for relaxation in the water. The main focus for the first session is relaxation, safety, and discovering what each participant would like to work on improving throughout the week. All sessions will take place in shallow waters of up to 6 meters.

Everyone who is interested in learning more can have at least 2 additional sessions with Emma to work on achieving their goals as set out in the first session above. In addition, throughout the week, Emma will offer masterclasses on breathing optimization and stretching, equalization, and sinus massage, and will also do a talk on freediving for interested parties.

Alami Alor is an intimate resort with 14 guests maximum giving it a very personal feel. It is situated on a remote and quiet bay and combines luxury accommodation with delicious locally inspired food. Your bungalow sits on the waterfront.

Alami Alor Bungalows

The bedroom is air-conditioned, and there is an open-air garden bathroom. There is plenty of outdoor seating, with hammocks and loungers. There is also a dedicated camera room.

Alami Alor Resort Bungalows

Resort Guide

Alami Alor Snorkel Boats

Alami Alor speedboats side by side

Spacious fiberglass speedboats with enough room to easily store snorkeling equipment. The boats do not have a toilet onboard but do offer a full canopy for sun protection and a ladder to help exit the water. Distances from the resort are short, maximum 30 minutes.

On this page you will find our Tour Dates & Pricing (see below contact form), a Booking Form and Details of Payment schedule including deposit and final balance. If you have any further questions please complete the form and we will reply within 24-48hrs.

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2025 Tour Dates

13 – 25 May 2025

Tour Price:

$6,795 USD (Twin/Double Share)

Single Person Supplement: $1500 per person

How to book your place

Initial deposit to secure your booking is $400 per person

12 months before departure interim payment of $600 per person

6 months before departure interim payment of $1,000 per person

Balance due 3 months before departure

Inclusions:

2-nights accommodation at a Jakarta hotel
Round trip domestic flights, transfers, and connections (Jakarta – Alor – Jakarta) with 40 Lbs of luggage
10 nights accommodation at Alami Alor Resort (Twin/Double Share)
Full board (all meals)
2 guided boat snorkels per day (morning & afternoon) for 9 days
Unlimited house reef snorkeling
Freediving instructor on site and in the water with you for the duration of the tour
Snacks, tea, coffee, refilled water, and Wifi

Exclusions:

International flights & visas (booking available on request)
Snorkeling equipment rental
Tips
Travel and health insurance
Soft drinks and alcoholic drinks, general sundries

Please note our cancelation policy:

1 year or more: 150 USD penalty per person to switch to a credit note for use within 2 years
12 months or less: Loss of deposit and interim payment
90 – 28 days: 25% Refund (includes your final balance payment)
28 – 0 days: No Refund