Dirt Track

This site, about 50 kilometers from Dili and the last of the locations I dived on the coast route to Manututo, has a more poetic name. The route leading off the coast road is known as Dirt Track. That leads to a grassy area above the short rocky beach that goes to the location. The deep water and strong currents attract an abundance of marine life to this dive location, but the currents can make diving difficult, especially at the easternmost point.

Dirt Track is swept by strong currents underwater, making the place difficult to navigate. But the marine life in those currents is what makes the location so fascinating! Whales (around November) and millions of fish, including nubiranchs and orangutan crabs, can often be spotted off the shore of Dirt Track. Barracuda lions, eels, masked batfish, crabs, lions, fusiliers, pipefish, scorpion fish, triggers, black sweet lips, rays, bumphead parrot fish, squid, maori or humphead wrasse, sharks, turtles, and a variety of other huge fish, together with vivid coral, large fans corals, and other large fish At around 20 meters, there's also a pygmy seahorse.

The spot is accessible directly from the rocky beach, and once in deeper waters, you can choose to continue east or west. However, even if there is more to view to the east, the currents are stronger.