Alor · Indonesia · Coral garden · Reef
Clown Valley
Reported as the world's largest aggregation of anemones
Photo: prilfish from Vienna, Austria · CC BY 2.0
An anemone field offshore of Pura Island, where the ground disappears under a carpet of anemones of every shape and size and about half of them are occupied by clownfish. Hard coral and soft coral fill the gaps between several anemone species, and there is no need to go much deeper than 12 m, so bottom time is long.
Also known as Valley of the Clowns, Anemone City.
Where it is and how deep
8.3005° S, 124.3450° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
You drop in over the field and the anemones are already under you, an unbroken carpet of them in every shape and size, swaying back and forth in the surge. About half the hosts are occupied, and the clownfish are territorial enough to come out and see off anything that crowds them. There is no need to go deep: the point is to get low and look out across the field, and you will not want much more than 12 m.
Between the anemones the ground is a mix of hard and soft coral, and there is more than one anemone species on it, so the texture keeps changing as you cross. At this depth gas lasts and the light is good, which makes it a site to work slowly: pick one host, settle off it and wait rather than covering ground. Clown Valley sits next to Sharks Galore, where divers get a break from the current, and depending on conditions the crew finishes that dive here.
Marine life and season
- Pristine corals
| 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.
Photos from Clown Valley
prilfish from Vienna, Austria · CC BY 2.0
Silke Baron from Vienna, Austria · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Dive Site: Clown Valley #alor #scubadiving · Scuba Diving and Dogs on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Clown Valley?+
Shallow. You do not need to go much deeper than 12 m, which is one reason it works for long, slow dives spent photographing the anemonefish.
Is Clown Valley suitable for new divers?+
It is one of Alor's easier sites: the depth stays around 12 m and the usual condition is surge rather than hard current, with the neighbouring Sharks Galore the site where crews take a break from the flow. The crew's call on the day still decides.
Sources
- Diving in Alor, Indonesia — Dive The World
- Coral Reef Exploration — Alami Alor
- Color and Current: Scuba Diving in Alor — Scuba Diver Life
- Top Seven Dive Sites in Komodo and Alor — Scuba Diver Life
Photo credits
- Peacock mantis shrimp with mottled red, orange and blue claws peering from its burrow. by prilfish from Vienna, Austria, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tasselled wobbegong shark resting under a soft-coral-fringed ledge on sand. by prilfish from Vienna, Austria, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White nudibranch with pink-tipped rhinophores crawling over encrusted rock. by Silke Baron from Vienna, Austria, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Alor
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Steep wall to 30 metres, the strait's moderate-current option
Muck & macro
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A sheer Pantar Strait face dropping to 90 metres
Reef
Hard coral gardens from 5 to 30 metres, out of the strait's flow
Muck & macro
Black sand to 27 metres, at its best after dark
Reef
Sea apples scattered across the reef between 15 and 25 metres
Wall
A 15 to 40 metre wall with the strait's most consistent pelagics
Similar dives elsewhere
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