Alor · Indonesia · Wall · Drift
Bama Wall
A sheer Pantar Strait face dropping to 90 metres
Area photo: Sims8899 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bama Wall, also called the Great Wall of Pantar, is a near-vertical face that descends roughly 40 to 90 metres and stands directly in the Pantar Strait's current flow. Dense soft corals, sea fans and sponge gardens cover the rock, and the moving water pulls dogtooth tuna, barracuda and reef sharks in off the blue.
Also known as Great Wall of Pantar.
Where it is and how deep
8.2900° S, 124.2600° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The face is near-vertical and sits in the strait's flow, so the drop is made into moving water and the dive runs as a drift with the wall on one shoulder. You hold a depth, let the current carry you along the rock and read the face rather than swim it. Soft corals, sea fans and sponge gardens cover it densely enough that the wall reads as growth rather than stone.
The current is also what makes the site worth the depth. It sweeps the length of the wall and draws passing pelagics in from the blue water, so dogtooth tuna, barracuda and reef sharks are found off the face as often as against it, and part of the dive is better spent looking out than in. The published range runs from about 40 metres to 90, well past the point where the structure gives you anything to work back onto, so the turn is made on gas and time.
Marine life and season
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Reef sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Alor: April–November dry season gives the most reliable liveaboard access and calmer crossings.
Know before you go
- Moderate current runs the length of the face; drop up-current of the wall, stay on it through the dive, and expect the tender to collect you wherever you surface.
- The wall continues to 90 metres with nothing in recreational range to stop a slow descent. Set a hard depth ceiling before the drop and watch your gauge on the way down.
Sources
- Alor Dive Sites — Dive The World
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