Top Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Dili

Dili Rock is also known as Pedra de Dili.

Tasi Tolu is a small critter dive site. It is especially interesting at night when many burrowing crabs, crustaceans and cephalopods come out of the sand to look for food. The slope is a very gradual sandy bank and one must be carefull to check depth to avoid going too deep. It is not uncommon to see rhinopias, sea horses, frogfish and harlequin ghost pipefish. At night, small octopus and well camouflaged pink soft coral crabs often highlight the dive. The site is only 15-20 minutes from the center of Dili. The turn off is located after having passed the road to the airport and is basically where the ocean is first visible. You turn to the right on a dirt track and can park your car 10 m from the water. The entry is a very easy gradual sandy entry.

The site is covered in many different kinds of coral. Big schools of bumphead wrasse have been spotted here. In the 5-10 meter zone there are many giant clams with irridescent colors. This site is also a great nudibranch zone. This side of Christo Rei is a 20 minute drive from Dili center. You must take the road towards Baucau and once over the first hill there is a turn-off to the left onto a gravel road. Take the gravel road and drive along the coast for 10 - 15 minutes until you reach the end at a very nice beach. There are some scrubby trees on the beach that offer some shade where you can gear up. The best entry point is in about the middle of the bay in a sandy/sea grass area. Be careful where you step as that is where Charlie the seahorse was spotted clinging to a blade of sea grass. The entry is gradual and will then turn to a nice small wall of coral that follows the coast most of the way around the bay. Cristo Rei East is also known as Bakside of Cristo Rei.

Halfway between the two entries to the parking lot for the Christo Rei statue climb there is a small tree with a rock step stone going to the beach. The entry is characterized by a good distance of broken coral bottom marked by locally made rock-walled fish traps. During low tide, one must walk quite some distance before reaching adequate depth. To the East of the entry there is a resident Blue Moray eel in one of the coral formations. Also seen: Black tipped reef sharks, blue groper, blue spotted rays, very large slipper crab. Beware of strong currents beyond the point at the North end of the site. A great site only 10 minutes by car from Central Dili. Approximately 6KM East of Dili. On the beach road almost to the end under the Christo Rei statue overlooking Dili.

Dili Rock West is different than its neighbor Dili Rock in the sense that it does not have areas of sandy bottom. On the contrary, the area is covered in hard and soft corals harboring many fish. In one area just west of the entry point there is a large expanse of the bulbous kind of staghorn or acropora coral which is always teaming with anthias and damselfish. This site is also very popular with anemones and their anemonefish (nemo) hosts. Dili Rock West is located just past Dili rock dive site ont he northern coast road from Dili to Liquica. Coming from Dili you drive past the airport to an area called Tasi Tolu. After passing a military facility to your left you can start looking for the dirt tracks leading to the shore not far from the rock formation "Dili Rock". Once on the dirt tracks follow them to the West side of the rock. There is a small area you can park in near the statur in the form of a rock that greets people coming to Dili from the West. The Entry requires a bit of walking on a dead coral shelf. Be careful to watch out for cracks in the rock surface. You will come to a ledge from which you can do a giant stride entry right into the coral reef area.