There are numerous dives sites heading east from Dili along the scenic coast road towards the town of Manututo with the best five that I have personally dived illustrated on the map below.
Map of Timor Leste Coastal Dive Sites - East of Dili
Diving Timor Leste: Coastal Dive Sites East of Dili – Secret Garden
Sponge Garden at Secret Garden
Secret Garden is my personal favorite of the coastal dive sites to the east of Dili – mainly because of it’s small but superb sponge garden which is very photogenic because of its resident colonies of purple anthias and silvery glass fish.
There is a lot to see generally at Secret Garden (if you can tear yourself away from the sponge garden that is…) and the site benefits from minimal strong current, but good visibility nearly all year round.
Above water the site is distinctive because of its lone mangrove tree, which looks high & dry at low tide, but partially submerged at high tide – see the image gallery below…
Secret Garden, or Secret Spot as it is sometimes referred to, is physically located about 35km east from Dili and is just off the coast road, hidden down a short dirt track behind a grove of palm trees.
The site has a pretty long entry which either involves wading out through shallow water if the tide is in, or walking out over the pebbles and coral rubble if the tide is out, to get to deeper water.
Once in the water and submerged you head straight down the sandy slope and when you reach the short wall you can either turn to the west or the east, but west is where the sponge garden is…
All in all, a very pleasant dive with a lot to see!
Secret Garden Image Gallery
Diving Timor Leste: Coastal Dive Sites East of Dili – K41
Superb coral and sponge covered bommie at K41
As the name suggests, this site is 41km from Dili…
It is also popular with local divers & snorkellers, so it is best to dive it during the week if you possibly can.
Entry is from the rocky beach and once underwater K41 has a good assortment of things to see ranging from banded pipe fish to pelagics like barracuda out in the blue.
It is also said to be a great place to encounter dugongs in the sea grass beds out from the main wall, but for me the numerous bommies were the main focus of the site.
Strong currents can be experienced as you follow the wall out, but generally K41 is a safe and interesting dive.
Diving Timor Leste: Coastal Dive Sites East of Dili – Bob’s Rock
The resident Nemo family at Bob's Rock
This is another dive site that is very popular with local divers and snorkellers so again it is best dived during the week if possible. You will know you are there because of the rock at the side of the road with ‘Bob’ written on it…
There is a lot of small critters to see at Bob’s Rock such as ghost pipefish and commensal shrimps and there is a large colony of garden eels in about 7m of water near the main entry point for the site.
There are also numerous anemones complete with their resident clown fish to tempt the underwater photographer in to another attempt at that perfect shot of these constantly moving creatures!
Diving Timor Leste: Coastal Dive Sites East of Dili – One Tree
One of the many beautiful bommies at One Tree
Continuing the eloquent tradition established with some of the other Timor Leste sites (like K41…) One Tree owes its positively poetic name to the lone tree on the side of the coast road that identifies the site…
The rather stark and barren conditions above water are a reverse mirror-image of what is below, as One Tree has some beautiful and really lush bommies to explore.
The bommies are richly coated with hard and soft corals, sponges and schools of anthias that dart out in to the clear blue water.
Entry to the site is an easy walk over the sandy bottom and then head out to the deeper water and the slopes and short walls that make up the sites.
Away from the bommies you will find a variety of things to see and photograph on the sandy bottom and, all in all, Lone Tree is an excellent site that is well worth the journey from Dili.
Diving Timor Leste: Coastal Dive Sites East of Dili – Dirt Track
Another poetic appellation is used for this site which is almost 50km from Dili and the last of the sites I dived on the coast road to Manututo.
Dirt Track takes its name from the dirt track leading off the coast road down on to the grassy area above the short rocky beach that leads to the site.
Underwater Dirt Track is swept by the strong currents that make the site both challenging and interesting because of the marine life that come with the currents.
Entry to the site is straight off the rocky beach and once in to deeper waters you can either head east or west, but watch out to the east because although there is more to see the currents are stronger…
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