Diving Weh

I've only gone diving at Weh a couple of trips, for a total of 10 dives. And I tell you, there are people who go there again and again for several years, staying WEEKS at a time. *&5!$#! Europeans and their short work weeks and generous leave!


To be honest, the reef ecosystem around Weh is not special, relatively in Indo-speak you see. On a scale of 1 to 10, with Sangyang oh about 1.5, Komodo about 8 and Raja Ampat 10, I would say the reef ecosystem of Weh rate around 6.5
But it's such a special place for me because it serves just the right amount of everything that I like about diving: cool temperatures, some currents, dark blue waters, leisurely-paced creatures with a great sense of humor, great colours, walls, more moray eels than I can count, and absolutely pleasant rides to get to the dive sites.

I have this slight fascination with moray eels that I am at loss to explain. But at Weh there's a site called Eel Garden, and it really is a wall pocked with those ugly gaping moray mouths swaying up and down. I call it peternakan moray eel. There's less of them than I remember from the first trip, but they're there. A couple of times I was cruising right on top of a huge, huge, honeycomb moray on a feeding hunt. It was fantastic, especially the eye contact I had with one, which lasted a few seconds during which I'm pretty sure it was assesing my level of edibility...as also I was (yumm).

I have this habit of peering into tubes--sponges, corals, small caves-- not really a smart thing to do since fairly likely something is on its way out and found my head a barrier, and God forbid it's a seasnake....well, I was poking into a coral tube to get a better look of something dark that's moving on its bottom, and lo behold it was this ornery moray, whose heart, or something, I'm sure also stopped a couple seconds as did mine!



And then there's the six dancing squids during one night dive, they were like christmas tree lighting, fabulous! That is the only time so far I've really seriously regretted not bringing a camera on a dive. I have a hunch I will not see the likes of that again during my lifetime, which really makes me sad but also absolutely priveleged...

I also met this little guy, cruising ever so relaxed, even posing for me.

I don't think I came to this site the first trip, or else it's gotten even more georgeous: a nice slope full, full with seafans.

But my absolute favorite has to be this little guy, not even 3cm. We played hide and seek for about 5 minutes, when I had to twist and turn to get a sight of him in a slight current and with the olympus 5050 which at these times make me wish for the postcard sony *wink,wink, birthday hasn't passed that long ago*. At last, I think it tired of the game and let me have a little souvenir!

So. The fast ferry from Banda Aceh to Sabang leaves 9:30 daily. If you spot other tourists in the boat, approach them to agree on hiring a ride together up to Gapang. DON'T go out of the boat thinking that oh there's plenty of rides to go up there and you'll work it out out there. NO! Because not a lot of people head up to Gapang and its adjoining beach, and there's oh like 400 cars waiting for customers outside. You'll all end up in 7 different cars, all purportedly heading up to Gapang. But after 30 -45 minutes running around for passengers, you'll find that finally, finally those drivers give up and decide to POOL their passengers together. And meanwhile you all could've already been soaking your toes...

For other tips, email me.