Pulau Weh and Pulau Weh Dive resort

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

TwoBitTxn

ScubaBoard Supporter
ScubaBoard Supporter
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
4,001
Reaction score
71
Location
North Texas
# of dives
500 - 999
My wife and I have been back a little over a week, and I think I'm about readjusted.

We were supposed to be on the Pulau Weh Aggressor which is the Thailand Aggressor just moving for a few weeks. Due to weather and the Indonesian government being difficult, the boat didn't get moved so this was our fall back option. We really had a great time.

We did 18 dives for a total of a little over 16 hours underwater. The reefs look great with lots of life, mostly macro, healthy corals, and numerous huge sea fans.

The accommodations were very comfortable. The beds and linens were comfortable and the rooms were clean. If you enjoy long, hot showers you could run short of hot water, but it was not an issue for us. The showers are large enough for a couple to shower together. :D

The meals were tasty and the food plentiful. There was ALWAYS fresh juice to be had. The food ranged from fairly mild (by my tastes) to hot enough to make a Thai happy. I quickly learned to distinguish what was what.

The two guides were awesome at finding the TINY stuff.

Currents can be a challenge on some of these dives. We did a few where the currents were difficult enough to detract from the dive. Some of the dives can be fairly deep as well (100 ft+). We had no issues following directions and everything was done safely.

I made my 500th dive as well as three birthday dives. It was a great trip and I would go back.
 
Sounds like you had a good plan B.

I have heard some good things about Pulau Weh, getting there however appears to be less than straightforward. Any tips?
 
Thanks for the review. I'm headed to Weh in the spring, and seems there aren't a lot of recent reports from there.
 
I'm curious about Pulau Weh also. There's not a lot of info out there about it. And there doesn't seem to be many places I can find to stay on the net. I'm wondering if there are
lot's of places to stay without a web presence.

It looks as it may fit my preference for short boat trips to the dive sites, as I leave my wife on the beach when I dive. It does look as it has some good diving, I wonder how it compares to other spots in Indonesia or South East Asia? Lot's of fish life? Have the reefs been dynamited to oblivion?
 
I'm curious about Pulau Weh also. There's not a lot of info out there about it. And there doesn't seem to be many places I can find to stay on the net. I'm wondering if there are
lot's of places to stay without a web presence.

It looks as it may fit my preference for short boat trips to the dive sites, as I leave my wife on the beach when I dive. It does look as it has some good diving, I wonder how it compares to other spots in Indonesia or South East Asia? Lot's of fish life? Have the reefs been dynamited to oblivion?

The two main resorts are the one mention above and Lumba Lumba.
As for a comparison..... I would say that there are many places in Indo that are definitely better than Weh. Places such as Bali, Bunaken, Bangka, Lembeh, Raja Ampat,...
The diving is OK but in all honesty there are better dive locations that are way easier to get to.
If you have dived most of Indo and want to try a new place then by all means go, it has some interesting dives and is fairly fishy and has not been bombed. You will see more moray eels here than anywhere else!
 
Getting there isn't exactly easy. For us it was: DFW-Hong Kong-Bangkok-Jakarta-Banda Aceh. There are some itineraries that go through Singapore. To get to Banda, you have to go through Jakarta, Medan, or Kuala Lumpur.
Get to the ferry in Banda at least an hour early. They will leave when it is full. This could be up to a half hour early. Try to get on the fast ferry if you can. The fast ferry is a 45 min run. The slow ferry is over 2 hours and it is CROWDED.

Yes, the boat trips to the dive sites are very short for the most part. We had one or two that was 45 min or so, but for the most part they were 10-20 minutes. We were doing 4 dives per day and did one night dive.

The reefs were very healthy. Some of the largest sea fans I have ever seen. Lots of plate corals, branching corals, soft corals, plenty of fish... we saw three sharks and only one turtle, but I was always under the impression it's all about the macro life.

I can't compare it to other places in Indonesia. This was a first for us. I really don't know what else is available on Weh either. I know there are other resorts and dive operations.
 
I occasionally visit Penang in Malaysia and there is no decent local diving in the near vicinity, so P. Weh is perhaps an opportunity while I am there for a few days escape.

Given my hand baggage is generally 25Kg (camera gear) and my dive gear another 20Kg the logistics of getting to P. Weh is going to be challenging at best.
 
I occasionally visit Penang in Malaysia and there is no decent local diving in the near vicinity, so P. Weh is perhaps an opportunity while I am there for a few days escape.

Given my hand baggage is generally 25Kg (camera gear) and my dive gear another 20Kg the logistics of getting to P. Weh is going to be challenging at best.

why ?
from penang is relatively easy. direct flight by firefly cost USD 40 - 90 then get a taxi to Ulee Lhee (max. USD 15) and fast ferry is also cheap. At P. Weh, ask the dive center to arrange the transportation.,

we stayed and dived with Lumba-lumba 7 years ago, and enjoyed the diving. Nice house reef for night dive.
Batu Tokong was really amazing, moray eels every where from small blue ribbon to 2 m giant moray in one dive.
Current can be very strong and wild
 
We were in PW in March this year and we are going back in September.
The diving is good and in terms of value for money you can't get much better than this.
We arrive via Kuala Lumpur and take an Air Asia flight from there directly to Banda Aceh and the ferry onwards. As of this year there are direct flights to PW but I can't remember from where.

We dive with Iboih Dive Center in Iboih Village and stay at Fina Bungalow directly behind the dive centre. The dive centre charges 14 euro per dive (with own equipment) and Fina Bungalows are roughly 20 Euro per night. The dive centre is run by an Indonesian guy and his british wife. All in all a great place to stay.
We saw Manta's and reef sharks in March as well as giant Trevallis, Dog tooth Tuna. Current can be a bit challenging at times.

20 kg luggage with Air Asia for ex is no problem and excess luggage if not expensive if bought beforehand.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom