Pulau Weh Dive Trip
Pulau Weh which is also known as Weh Island, is located on the most extreme left of Indonesia at north-west tip of Sumatra, across the bay from Banda Aceh. It is located at the meeting point between Indian Ocean and the Andaman Sea. Being surrounded with villages, Pulau Weh has a rustic touch and well-preserved landscapes with waterfalls, nature reserves, and charming beaches, although there are still signs of scars from the 2004 tsunami which badly affected Banda Aceh back then.
Pulau Weh is a actually a volcanic island. In the centre of the island itself lies another volcano within . Known as the Gunung Api or “Mountain of Fire”, there are holes with hot steam underneath the surface. Being a lesser-known diving destination, there are lesser human footprints and scarring of the ocean through human activities. With more than 20 dive sites, it is always intriguing and a different diving experience at different site!
How To Get There?
It is easily accessible from Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Jakarta and taking a ferry to the island. The ferry makes 2 trips from Banda Aceh to and fro Pulau Weh daily from the Ulee Lhue Port (Banda Aceh) to the Balohan Port (Weh Island).
Pulau Weh Ferry Time Table
Ulee Lheu Port (Banda Aceh) to Balohan Port (Weh Island)
Type of Ferry: Fastcraft Ferry
Daily: 09:30 hrs
Daily: 15:30 hrs (Fri: 16:30 hrs)
Balohan Port (Weh Island) to Ulee Lheu Port (Banda Aceh)
Type of Ferry: Fastcraft Ferry
Daily: 08:00 hrs
Daily: 15:30 hrs
Diving Season
You can dive all year round due to the variety of locations and dive sites in Pulah Weh. The dry season is from April to October where there are lesser rainfall and therefore better visibility as well due to milder wind and sea current. During the wet season, water current may be heavy and choppy. It is therefore highly recommended to dive during the dry period due to better visibility and more exciting sightings underwater.
What To Expect?
Pulau Weh enjoys a fascinating formation of rare marine life species. It is well known for its larger marine creatures such as reef sharks, manta and eagle rays, Napoleon wrasses, barracudas, tunas, coloured nudibranches, trevallies, parrotfishes groupers and moray eels. If you are lucky, you can even spot the giant Mola Mola which follows the cold current especially during the wet season. It is a delightful and awesome diving destination due to schools of various species of fishes underwater!
If you are more adventurous, the wet and colder season during September to March will welcome larger pelagic creatures such as black tip reef sharks, manta rays, as well as schools of mobulas.
In dive sites such as Shark Plateau and Canyons, larger pelagic marine creatures as well as megamouth sharks and whale sharks are occasionally sighted as well. The variety of marine species is amazing and diverse, with the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean contributing to Pulau Weh’s diversity in the oceans.
Pulau Weh is indeed a sanctuary for coral reefs within its surrounding islands. With both soft and hard corals covering the reefs, you can also see large sea fans as well as giant barrel sponges.
Dive Sites
Pulau Weh has more than 20 dives sites which appeals to various experience levels. You can choose to do a more adventurous dive at Shark Plateau, deep technical dive at the Sophie Richmers Wreck or simply just for a fun dive to explore the rich marine life. Below are some of the more popular dive sites to explore:
The Canyon – This is one of Pulau Weh’s most famous top 3 dive sites. Located at the north eastern point of Weh Island, you can spot incredible marine creatures such as jacks, tuna, trevallies, scorpion fish, titan triggerfish, star puffers, barracudas, unicornfish, Napoleon wrasses, mantra rays, eagle rays, porcelain crabs and even sharks. It is also the closest to Kilometer Zero. It is recommended for advance divers due to its strong currents. There are underwater archways, sea slopes, cave as well as a deep wall down to 197 feet (60 meters). Filled with abundance of gorgonian sea fans, one of the highlights of the Canyon is also the 2 large rock formations separate by 2 canyong channels and up to a depth of up to 98 feet (30 meters).
Sophie Rickmers (Wreck) – The Sophie Rickmers is a cargo steam ship built in 1920. In 1940, the German crew on board of Sophie Rickmers abandoned and sunk the ship in order to avoid being captured by Dutch. The bow now sits at a deep180 feet (55 meters) while decks are located at 148 feet (45 meters). The ship wreck stretch approximately 440 feet (134 meters) in a bay sheltered away from strong currents. It sits upright and intact and is an impressive wreck to explore. However, it is important to note that you will require your PADI Deep Diver Specialty before you are allowed to do this dive. In addition, apart from experience, divers are also required to be familiar with decompression dives as well. Being sheathed completely in corals now, the Sophie Rickmers wreck is now filled with various macro life and marine fishes such as trevallies, groupers. rays, etc.
Underwater Volcano – Located on the eastern side of the island, alongside Sabang Wreck lies the Underwater Volcano which is a popular dive site among divers of all levels of experience. Due to volcanic thermal, the waters here are exceptionally warm and you can also spot bubbles rising from the seabed.
Sabang Wreck – The Sabang Wreck is located alongside the Underwater Volcano. Most divers will normally dive these 2 sites concurrently due to the location proximity. You can enjoy a large marine variety of both soft and hard coral reef formed at the wreck over many years. Being close to the shoreline, this dive site is an excellent site for new divers.
Batee Tokong – Consisting of a sloping reef and wall pinnacle, this dive site is one of the more popular sites among many divers. It is filled with abundance of various diverse bio-marine life. You can spot creatures such as trevallies, groupers, lion fishes, moray eels in the mist of the gorgonian sea fans. Featuring a deep plateau, Batee Toking is indeed a must for those who wants to sight reef sharks as well.
Pantee Peunateung – Filled with schools of trevallies, triggerfishes, jacks and fusiliers, you will be amazed by the amount of diverse marine you can see here. The reef slopes to approximately 82 feet (25 meters) before it leads to a vertical drop. At the shallower slopes, you can also sight various species of moray eels, shrimps, lobsters as well as octopus. It has stunning and brightly coloured gorgonian sea fans at the walls towards the deeper end of the slope. If you are lucky, you can even spot eage rays and sharks at this dive site.
Arus Balee – The common underwater sightings includes the tuna, mobula rays, trevallies, groupers, moray eels, spider crabs and even the black tip reef shark. With an array of diversed fishes, this dive site is brimming with vibrancy of species.
Limbo Gapang – Consisting of a dives ranging from a shallow dive to the deep dive, Limb Gapang is a popular dive site which is located to the east of the Underwater Volcano. The east conditions make it a good spot for diving courses. Limbo Gapang is filled with tropical marine life and it never fails to amaze you each time you go.
Experience Level
Pulau Weh has plenty of sites to suit different diving experience. You can dive in Pulau Weh whether you are a new open water diver or an advanced level diver. For advanced divers, you can dive at Shark Plateau which has stronger currents but you can be rewarded with rich marine creatures underwater. You can also do a deep dive at the Sophie Rickmers for more technical and decompression diving and exploring the ship wreck at the same time. With various diving sites for fun and leisure dives, you can be assured you will never get bored at Weh Island.
Diving Conditions
Diving conditions are generally good all year round. The visibility is usually good around 25 meters and hardly drops below 15 meters during the dry season around the surrounding islands. However, do note that visibility may fluctuate slightly between the wet and dry seasons. The water temperature tends to be around 26 to 30°C, averaging around 28 to 29°C most of the time. We will advise bringing a reef hook due to the various difficulty of diving across different sites.
Wild Lift Protection
The Indonesian Government has gazetted an approximate 60 square kilometers of both land and sea surrounding Weh Island as wild life protection area in order to protect and preverse this natural oceanic ecosystem. There are mainly 2 protected areas which are the Iboih Recreation Park (1,300 hectares) and Pulau Weh Marine Park (2,600 hectares).
Summary
Pulau Weh is a tropical paradise filled with fascinating underwater creatures, spectacular scenery and clear sea water. Away from the jostling of busy cities, it is the perfect holiday diving destination for a relaxing and recreational scuba diving holiday. With more than 20 diving sites available, you can engage in various techinical or leisure dives in an amaing underwater world filled with diversified marine life. After diving, you can always chill and enjoy the beautiful sunset. Come join us to experience the dive of a lifetime at Pulau Weh!
Resort
Upon arriving at the Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport, it takes approximately 2.5 hours of boat journey and drive to arrive at the Pulau Weh Resort.
Pulau Weh Resort is a luxurious and lifestyle accommodation with a private beachfront. It comes with air-conditioning, private bathroom and front seating balcony area. Essential items such as hairdryer, electic kettle, towels, toiletries, etc are provided so you do not need to bring your own.
Featuring a restaurant With free WiFi access in public areas, and an on-site restaurant, meals are fully covered as part of your dive package. There are also laundry and ironing service provided if required. You may also engage in activities like fishing or snorkelling upon request at additional charges.
Have any queries regarding our Pulau Weh Dive Trip? Fill up the Contact Form to leave us a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.