Pulau Weh dive photos

[Hollow12345]

That place is realy sweet!

 

[gekodivebali]

Looking fishy. Were the corals any good too?

 

[travelem]

Looking fishy. Were the corals any good too?

Yes, corals are very good.

---------- Post added November 4th, 2014 at 09:58 PM ----------

Beautiful pictures! I plan to go there this December.

Any comment about lumbalumba as dive operator? I read some disturbing reviews about their safety performance from this forum.

Cheers.

Dive shop is very organized and clean.
Small dive group 1 - 3 dives per group, two divemasters for each group ( 1 DM maybe DM trainee)
But some DMs don't use safety buoy.

In general, IMO it is a good dive shop.

 

[kittikat]

Yes, corals are very good.

---------- Post added November 4th, 2014 at 09:58 PM ----------

Dive shop is very organized and clean.
Small dive group 1 - 3 dives per group, two divemasters for each group ( 1 DM maybe DM trainee)
But some DMs don't use safety buoy.

In general, IMO it is a good dive shop.

Hey thanks a lot for input! It does look very organized.

 

[travelem]

Hey thanks a lot for input! It does look very organized.

You welcome.

 

[cephalopod2]

Great photos! I have been very interested to see what diving in this area is like - thank you for sharing your experience.

 

[jake11]

Looks beautiful there, topside and underwater! Thanks for sharing!

 

[gajahduduk]

I was not impressed with the diving at Pulau Weh back in the 1990s, now after the Tsunami I would imagine it's worse. Please tell me otherwise. I have good reason to go back otherwise.

 

[kittikat]

Yes, corals are very good.

---------- Post added November 4th, 2014 at 09:58 PM ----------

Dive shop is very organized and clean.
Small dive group 1 - 3 dives per group, two divemasters for each group ( 1 DM maybe DM trainee)
But some DMs don't use safety buoy.

In general, IMO it is a good dive shop.

Thanks for the recommendation.
I went with LumbaLumba DC one week before Christmas last year.
It was as travelem said, the DC was very organized and clean. The staffs helped with cleaning the gears after each dive and they did really good jobs. The DMs and crews were very professional and helpful.
Fresh brewed Acehnese coffee was always available at the DC, and comfortable sitting areas to socialize etc.

The flight from Jakarta to Banda Aceh was pretty straightforward. Unfortunately we got stuck in Banda Aceh for one night as no boat dared to sail out due to bad weather. Luckily we found a modern hotel called The Pade, which was located half an hour away from the port. Same thing happened again on our return from Weh, but luckily there was one cargo vessel with big enough engine to go out. It was a mess, and not exactly the most comfortable ride, but it got us to the airport on time.

My dive experience was just ok, mainly because of rough weather and I was limited to beginner spots only. My travel companion, on the other hand, had a good time at Batee Tokong. There was quite a lot of varieties of things to see, including turtles, big fishes, and macros. But for the majority of our stay, visibility was so so, surface conditions were really rough, and boat rides were not that comfortable. After we left, another friend went to Weh for Christmas and reported 30m visibility and calm sea, so it's all about luck I guess.

The cottage lodging was a good experience too. Spacious bathroom with hot water. Kitchen corner with fridge, sink, and portable water boiler. You have to ask if you need daily cleaning and change of towels/sheets. There is no room service, so you have to order and carry food on your own. This was not a big issue for us as we can just order at restaurant next door.
They offered local cuisines and fresh juices at very reasonable price (but very slow service as only 1 person working in kitchen). Their curry Acehnese rice was my favorite.
Mama donuts was still selling fresh baked warm donuts every morning and tea time. It was a bit too sweet for my taste though.
Padang restaurant right outside DC entrance was just so so compared to other Padang food I've had.
LumbaLumba has informed me that they will open a restaurant in 2015, so I look forward to that on my next visit.
We also ran into an Italian guy who owns an Italian restaurant nearby, unfortunately we didn't get the chance to try.

Overall it was a good experience.
I would love to come back again but most likely on dry season only.

 

[matts1w]

Information has slowly emerged about New Years Eve this year at Pulau Weh. Aceh is a unique region of Indonesia. Please do some research and make up your own mind. I hope this story is mostly baseless as the good, kind people Aceh don't need what little tourism they have destroyed by one interpretation of Sharia.

Hundreds of tourists cancel trips to Aceh | The Jakarta Post
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thornt...la/indonesia/caution-in-aceh-sabang-pulau-weh