Dollar Beach, Timor-Leste
If you are lucky, and willing to swim/snorkel out to the “drop off” you can see an amazing array of fish swimming along the coast line from Dollar Beach in Timor-Leste.
Including the occasional Sea Turtle.
Sea Turtle – Dollar Beach
I pulled together a short video of some of the Sea Stars (Star Fish) you’ll find in East Timor.
The reefs here are fantastic, and the sea stars are everywhere. The feather stars and basket stars are among my favorites.
Enjoy.
Christmas Tree Worms (Serpulidae) at Cristo Rei, on All Saints Day. Brian Pinkowski
Several great snorkeling days at Cristo Rei on All Saints weekend in East Timor (Timor-Leste). I brought a few friends with me and was happy to hear them relay their experience to others. “Yeah, its just right there where you park your car. . . . You just park and go in and it’s fantastic.” Continue reading
Snorkelers lounging after a swim at Bob’s Rock in Dili, Timor-Leste (East Timor) – Brian Pinkowski
Another great day snorkeling at Bob’s Rock in Timor-Leste. (Click on the link for directions and other information about Bob’s Rock)
Bob’s Rock is often discussed as a dive site, but it’s a fantastic snorkeling site as well. Continue reading
It was a nice morning snorkeling at Cristo Rei today.
The water in the shallows were silty, but once you were about 40 meters from shore, the water was crystal clear with a depth of only 1.5 meters for another 50 meters until you reach the canyons and see the bigger fish. We saw a school of unicorn fish, some small puffer fish, and many many gobies, but the highlight was following two squid as the swam along eyeing us suspiciously.
I brought some new folks out to enjoy the sea – I think they are hooked, and are talking about buying some gear and exploring on their own next weekend.
Dollar Beach- looking west toward Black Rock.
Most visitors to Timor-Leste will check the travel guides when looking for a place to snorkel in Timor. The list of locations is short, but Dollar Beach is always on the list.
We spent Thanksgiving on Atauro Island, Timor-Leste (East Timor) this year. We opted for barracuda over turkey and were not disappointed. Travel to the island is by public ferry or water taxi.
Atauro Island Welcoming Committee
Big Fish at Cristo Rei. Timor-Leste
Sunday mornings are terrific here. We took a 5 minute drive out to Cristo Rei and found a few surprises.
One surprise was that we were not the only people snorkeling today. There were no less than 5 total in the water. I am glad to see that it the water is being appreciated.
The second surprise was this school of fish. Continue reading
I have gotten many requests from friends asking me “where is East Timor?”
Perhaps this will help.
Where is East Timor?
We have a few more pix available of the sea life at Cristo Rei.
Lobster Trap at Cristo Rei
"Pin Cushion Starfish"
"Pin Cushion Starfish" This is what it looks like from the top.
Timor-Leste Images 