Pl Weh

Hi, just a shortie. I need to confirm if Pl Weh is in season mid September to beginning of October. A couple of contrasting opinions on the board so confirmation would make my decision easy.
Regards andshand.

andshand - Sept/Oct the start of rainy season and can get long hours downpours sometimes. However, diving is still possible at some dive sites. I have a friend who went there some 3 years go in October, and it just rained and no sun throughout his stay.

The best time to go Pulau Weh is June and July, it's the hottest and best visibility. I was there twice, first in end January 2006 and second in end December 2007. Both times, weather was fine, diving was good. I thought the diving was excellent with 20m viz on average, until the owner told me that in June/July the viz is much better.

Hope this little info helps =)

hi sharx, looks like im following u around some good dive destinations.

i sent an email to lumba2 in Pl Weh regarding weather conditions in Sept/Oct and they sent what must be a 500 word letter in reply. they were extremely helpful i was actually quite shocked to get such an in depth reply. i have read so many contrasting reports on SB and from people i PM'd, lumba2 said basically that yes it might be raining then but this doesnot affect vis with no large rivers in th area and this didnt mean that i was to expect rain on my entire trip. basically i am pretty sure i will make the trip based on just weather conditions and this time of year can bring mantas and poss whale shark's, the invaluable point they made was that september is ramadan (i hope i got that part right) and this may cause inconvenience while travelling through Bandah Aceh.

lumbas email also went into depth about moon's and wind's, really to much for me to read properly this afternoon. it will be my 1st trip to Indonesia, i figured if i like it (food and people) then i will poss do a lembeh-komodo-alor trip over xmas.

thanks for your reply and i will make a decision in a feew weeks time, hopefully i might get some more feedback from others on SB. i might even to Pl Weh at xmas with the other sites i mentioned and go to N Sulawesi in september, Redang in Malaysia was another option for this time of year but there is something drawing me to Indonesia. Sharx have you been to Redang?

Regards andshand

Oh yes, ramadan falls in September this year. It will be quite inconvenient to get food, etc. because Aceh is a muslim state, though not as strict as KSA, they are still pretty strict. Restaurants and coffee shops will very likely be close.

Ton and Marjan are extremely friendly and accommodating throughout my stay there. Planning a trip there is easy with all the information they provide.

I haven't been to Redang, but I've been to many nearby islands around that region. I've been to Perhentian Island, which is very close to Redang, with comparable diving. Diving there is good towards the end of the diving season (Mar-Nov). Sept and Oct would be one the better choice in terms of visibility and weather.

Hey, I'm considering Komodo in Dec during xmas too!!!

Ramadan..... hmmmm....., Aceh is a bit tough... maybe easier in Manado or Bali, as majorities are non muslims. Mola2 season in Bali, too.

Ramadhan, all restaurant and cofee shop in Banda Aceh are closed during the day except in certain hotels. You still can buy snack and drinks at airport, just do not eat at public area.
Once you reach the resort I believe you'll not hungry. However, "local support" will be limited and slow.

thanks a lot guys and girls, i really appreciate the input. i kinda got my heart set on going tp Pl Weh but due to ramadan my head says "just wait till xmas". i think a lot has to do with the poss plankton blumes and what they attract plus lumba2 were great in there response and that goes a long way in my book.

so im going to have to change plans, Redang was my other option but like i said earlier Indonesia is really pulling me in, its a tough life when all thats going through your head is where to dive next

live_in_sin you might have sold me on the sun fish, i didn't realise they could get so big (was reading a post here yesterday). any other top recomendations for the time of year?

sharx have you booked in for xmas yet or is it still in your head?

. . .andshand

the part of banda Aceh where lumbalumba is, is pretty small and quite lost, so i will avoid it in ramadan ( i was ther in march and i have a great time ) : all year long theres no boat dive on friday morning, because no boat isallowed to dive till 2PM . I dont want to know how things are going in Ramadan.

So i ll go bali or bunaken.
Or both.
If i wher more experieneced i would do Bali + Komodo
With maybe just 50 logged dives, i will do Bunaken ( celebes divers ) + Lembeh

or just bunaken ( i m not a muck dive fan; Bunaken offers already enough small things for me )
and maybe i will ask for dives spot with big fishes:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/223517-bunaken-report-photos.html

andshand - my xmas plan is still in my head. A few places in mind, Komodo, Tufi in PNG or Christmas Island...

o.k Pl Weh has been scrapped because of ramadan, bit of a shame really so i will just put it on the list of places to dive.

my new plan thanks to live in sin is to go bali east coast and try my luck with the mola mola's as i see its not an opportunity to miss. i know the water is going to be cold there but what about the other dive conditions like swells and currents? i am confident in the water and have been in some ripping currents on quite a few occasions, will this area be to challenging?

then over xmas bunaken-komodo-alor is the idea.