When I told people I was going to East Timor they thought I was crazy. I received comments like “Why go there?” and “Is it safe?” Well, after spending two weeks there I can now answer their questions. In the media you normally hear only negative press about this tiny little nation. But beyond the poverty and political instability, most of the one million or so inhabitants are incredibly friendly. I travelled to East Timor to explore the pristine ocean environment of the Timor Sea, regarded as the site of some of the world’s best diving. An interesting thing was that the whole time I was there I felt safer in the main street of Dili at midnight, than I do in the centre of Sydney! To get there I had an early flight from Sydney to Darwin, before a short trip across to Dili. I was immediately surprised that so close to mainland Australia is a place that’s so vastly different. I arrived just after lunch to nice weather and the smiling face of the dive operator. I was diving with Mark, from Dive Timor Lorosae, and staying at Dili Beach Hotel. The dive shop was next to my accommodation and they were both opposite the beach, so the location was perfect.

“I was immediately surprised that so close to mainland Australia is a place that’s so vastly different.”

During my stay I had a mixture of boat and shore dives. At first I thought the boat dives would be the best, but to my surprise, they were both as good as each other. Each day I either did a double shore or boat dive, and while it took over an hour to get to the sites, it wasn’t a problem as there was plenty to see and do along the way. On the road I got to check out how the people here live, buy fresh fruit from the local markets and interact with all the friendly Timorese people. And then on the boat trips I got to see dolphins, sail fish and even pilot whales! I was always on the lookout for a whale shark, but unfortunately, no luck. The dives were all on the reef, with lots of gorgeous colour and fish of all sizes. The marine life is very diverse and there’s everything from large pelagic species to the tiniest of critters. But one of the highlights of the trip was a night on Atauro Island. This small island is a 45 minute boat trip north of Dili and has untouched ocean environments and seemingly endless visibility. If you go to East Timor then a visit to the island is a must! The accommodation on Atauro was an eco resort – well not really a ‘resort’. It was very rustic with composting toilets and no running water…one night was enough but I was really glad I did it. Although it was a diving holiday, there was a lot more on offer in East Timor than I had expected. Eating fantastic food, relaxing by the pool and drinking made up a fair bit of the holiday and I spent a lot of time at The Castaway Bar, which is at the dive centre – I highly recommend the banana pancakes! To get around town it’s easy to grab a cab, although they stop running at 9.30pm. Also, there are plenty of great restaurants to choose from, and best of all, meals only cost a few dollars! One night I even headed to the beach to eat with the locals. Everything is barbecued and cooked on a stick. Fish on a stick, chicken on a stick, sausage on a stick…yum!

At the end of the trip I headed for the mountains, to experience a bit of the local history. Our tour guide was a very interesting and knowledgeable man. He escaped Timor in war times and headed to Australia as a refugee when he was just 10. He eventually returned to Timor to run a tour company. We spent a couple of days with him, learning about the history and the environment. A highlight was a trip to a local village where the people are still living off the land, like they did hundreds of years ago. They even have to walk several hours every day to collect water. It made me feel a bit guilty about complaining whenever I have to get the groceries.

I would have to say that East Timor is well worth a visit. During my stay I didn’t see any other tourists and felt really safe the whole time. While the country is full of UN and army personnel, and there aren’t any five star resorts, if you’re up for a bit of adventure then you should get there before it all changes. After all, anywhere as beautiful as East Timor will eventually be discovered by developers!

I stayed at Dili Beach Hotel: www.dilibeachhotel.com

I dived with Dive Timor Lorosae: www.divetimor.com

Want to learn how to dive or go on a diving holiday? Then contact the team at Abyss Scuba: www.abyss.com.au