Timor-Leste

Close encounters of the third kind, the giants of the Ombai Strait

Get a callback See the programme

Dates & availability

18 to 25 October 2027 Sold out

Location Timor-Leste

Duration 8 days / 7 nights

Level PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent recommended

From €2,900

Per diver, based on a private apartment, shared double room. Ref. rate 1 USD = €0.86 (adjustable if variation > ±2%).

The expedition

In the heart of the Coral Triangle, between Indonesia and Australia, Timor-Leste remains a little-known destination, wild and unspoilt. Its pristine reefs and vertiginous drop-offs harbour one of the richest ecosystems in Southeast Asia. It is one of the few places on Earth where you can get in the water to observe the pygmy blue whale, in waters that are still little explored.

The headline encounter

Getting in the water with the pygmy blue whale, an exceedingly rare encounter

What you see

Underwater, in Timor-Leste.

Pygmy blue whale

Sperm whales

Dolphins and pilot whales

What you do

What you’ll do — or can do.

Cetacean photo-identification
Talks
Snorkelling / freediving entries
3 days searching for cetaceans
4 dives (coastal and/or Atauro)
Local visits

The journey

Day by day.

Day 1

Arrival in Dili (DIL), transfer to the dive centre and guest house, drinks and dinner.

Days 2 to 4

Three days at sea (departures at 8 am) in search of blue whales, sperm whales and cetaceans, snorkelling/freediving entries. Late-afternoon talks.

Days 5 and 6

Two dives per day at the sites of Timor-Leste and Atauro (4 dives).

Day 7

Day off: local visits, rest, last dinner.

Day 8

Transfer to the airport and return flight to Europe.

Good to know

Before you go.

Tropical, warm and humid

Water: 27 to 29 °C Air: 28 to 32 °C
The boat

Private boat for 8 participants
Wetsuit

2 to 3 mm shorty or full suit
For the workshop

Camera, video and laptop to take part in the workshop

Citizen science

Your contribution, here.

Beyond the spectacle, the expedition is part of a citizen-science effort: you'll learn to photo-identify cetaceans, a technique used by researchers to track populations of dolphins, orcas and whales over time, then you'll practise it yourselves, submitting your own shots to scientific databases. Each evening, two naturalist guides host talks on the species encountered and the local environment, driven by a deep conviction: educate to better protect.

The trip