:: Pulau Weh - Nanggroe Aceh Travel Guides ::
PULAU WEH - NORTH END TIP OF
INDONESIA
Weh Island or Pulau Weh or
Pulo Weh is a small active volcanic island to the
northwest of Sumatra. It was
originally
connected to the Sumatran mainland and became separated
by sea after the volcano's last eruption in the
Pleistocene era. The island is situated in the Andaman
Sea. The largest city on the island, Sabang, is the
westernmost outpost of Indonesia.
The island is known for its ecosystem; the Indonesian
government has declared 60 kmē of inland and sea around
the island as a wildlife protection area. A rare
megamouth shark species was found on shore and the
island is the only habitat for the threatened toad, Bufo
valhallae (genus Bufo). Coral reef areas around the
island are known for their large variety of fish
species.
Geography
Weh Island is located in the Andaman Sea, where two
groups of islands, the Nicobar Islands and Andaman
Islands, are scattered in one line from Sumatra to the
north up to the Burma plate. The Andaman Sea lies on an
active moving small tectonic plate (microplate). A
complex geological fault system and volcanic arc islands
have been created along the length of the sea by the
movement of the
microplate.
The island is just 350 metres (1,150 ft) off the
northernmost tip of Sumatra. The island is small at only
156.3 kmē, but mountainous. The highest peak is a
fumarolic volcano and is 617 metres (2,024 ft).[1] The
last known eruption is estimated to have occurred in the
Pleistocene age. As a result of this eruption, the
mountain partially collapsed, was filled by the sea and
thus a separate island was formed.
At nine metres depth (29.5 ft) close to Sabang city,
underwater fumaroles emerge from the seabed.[3] A
volcanic cone is found in the jungle. There are three
solfatara (mudpot) fields on the island: one is 750 m
(0.5 mi) southeast of the summit and the others are 5 km
(3 mi) and 11.5 km (7 mi) northwest of the summit on the
western shore of Lhok Perialakot bay.
There are four islets surrounding Weh Island: Klah,
Rubiah, Seulako, and Rondo. Among those, Rubiah is well
known for diving tourism, because of its coral reefs.
When traveling to Saudi Arabia was only possible by sea,
Rubiah was used as a place of quarantine for Indonesian
Muslim during the Hajj pilgrimage season ,
Inhabitants
Weh Island is a part of Aceh province. A 1993 census
reported 24,700 inhabitants. The large majority of the
population are Acehnese and the remaining are
Minangkabau, Javanese, Batak and Chinese.[6] It is
unknown when the island was first inhabited. Islam is
the main religion, as Aceh is a special province where
Sharia law has been applied exclusively for the
province. However, there are some Christians and
Buddhists on the island. They are mostly Javanese, Batak
and Chinese.
The economy
on Weh Island is dominated by agriculture. The main
products are cloves and coconuts. Small-scale fisheries
operate in the area, and fishermen have used explosives
and cyanide fishing extensively. Therefore since 1982, a
wildlife protection area (suaka alam) has been declared
by the Indonesian government that includes 34 kmē inland
and 26 kmē of surrounding sea.
The two main cities are
Sabang
and Balohan. Balohan is a ferry port that serves as a
hub between the island and Banda Aceh on the mainland
Sumatra. Sabang has been an important quay since the
late nineteenth century, because the city overlooks the
entry to a busy shipping route, Malacca Strait.
Before the Suez Canal was opened in 1869, the Indonesian
archipelago was reached via the Sunda Strait from
Africa. From the Suez Canal, the route to Indonesia is
shorter via the Malacca Strait. Due to its natural
harbour with relatively deep and well sheltered water,
the Dutch East Indies government decided to open Sabang
as a quay. In 1883, Sabang quay was opened for ships to
dock by the Atjeh Associate. At first, the harbour was
intended as a coal station for the Dutch navy, but later
also served merchant vessels and for the transfer of
export goods from northern Sumatra.
Each year, 50,000 vessels pass through
Malacca
Strait.[10] In 2000, the Indonesian government declared
Sabang as a Free Trade Zone and Free Port to gain
economical benefit by establishing the port as a
logistic hub for international vessels passing through
the strait.[11] Infrastructures for a deep water harbour,
port, warehousing and refuelling facilities, were
developed.
Weh Island is also known for ecotourism. Underwater
diving, hiking through the volcanic mountain and beach
resorts are the main attractions. A small village, Iboih,
is known as a location for scuba diving. A few meters
from Iboih is the Rubiah islet that is known for its
coral reefs.
Ecosystem
On 24 December 2004, a massive (9.0 on Richter
scale) undersea earthquake struck in the Andaman Sea.
The earthquake triggered a series of tsunamis that
killed at least 130,000 people in Indonesia alone. The
effect on the island was relatively small, but it is
unknown how many inhabitants of the island were killed
by the event.
During 1997–1999, Conservation International
conducted a survey of the coral reef in the area.[5]
According to the survey, the coral diversity is
relatively low, but fish species variation is rich. Some
species found during the survey include Pogonoperca
ocellata, Chaetodon gardneri, Chaetodon xanthocephalus,
Centropyge flavipectoralis, Genicanthus caudovittatus,
Halichoeres cosmetus, Stethojulis albovittatus, Scarus
enneacanthus, Scarus scaber and Zebrasoma desjardinii.
On 13 March 2004, a specimen of the rare and unusual
species of shark, megamouth shark, was washed ashore on
Gapang beach. Megamouth shark has a distinctive large
mouth, very short snout and is broadly rounded in dorsal
view. The specimen is said to be the 21st[13] (some say
it is the 23rd sightings of the species since its
discovery in 1976. The male shark, measuring 1.7 metres
(5.58 ft) in length and weighing 13.82 kg (30.5 pounds),
was frozen and sent to the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences (LIPI) for further scientific study. As of
2006, there have only been 36 findings of megamouth
sharks in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.
The 2004 earthquake and tsunami
has affected the ecosystem on the island.[16] At Iboih
village, a large swath of mangrove was destroyed. Debris
from the land was deposited on the nearby reefs as a
result of the tsunami. In 2005, about 14,400 mangrove
seedlings have been replanted to save the mangrove
forest.
Apart from underwater ecosystem, Weh island is the only
habitat of one threatened species of toad, named Bufo
valhallae (genus Bufo). The species is only known from
the holotype from the island. Due to heavily degraded
forestation on the island, the population of the species
is uncertain.
PULAU WEH DIVING INFORMATION
Pristine coral
reefs and the common sighting of large marine animals
attract visitors to this unspoiled tropical paradise.
The currents around pulau Weh draw the big plankton
feeders such as whale sharks and manta rays, with the
former frequenting the area each January. Dolphin
sightings, sometimes with pods numbering hundreds, are a
common occurrence. Around and on pulau Weh are two
protected areas: Rubiah sea garden (2,600 hectares) and
Iboih recreation park (1,300 ha). A 350m wide channel
separates pulau Weh from its reef-encircled sister
island, pulau Rubiah.
The most northwestern island of Indonesia offers truly
world cl
ass
diving with clear waters and impressive under water
landscapes. Here, where the Andaman Sea meets the Indian
Ocean, the deep waters and currents around the island
sustain an unbelievable amount and variety of marine
life, ranging from tiny critters to grand pelagic's ...
Dive in crowds of fish, not in crowds of divers:
Still being an insiders' secret, and off the beaten
track, Pulau Weh offers unspoiled and uncrowded dive
sites. Add our team's dedication, experience and love
for the ocean and you'll get unforgettable dives, from
spectacular full-adrenaline dives to long slow relaxed
macro spotting dives.
Pulau Weh is located on the
northwestern tip of Sumatra, a 350 meter wide channel
fills the gap between Pulau Weh and its reef-encircled
sister island, Pulau Rubiah where good drift dives can
be had. The island also offers wrecks, drop offs and an
amazing array of marine life. Most dive sites are
reachable by boat within 30 minutes from Ibioh, a
pleasant fishing village where most visitors find
themselves based.
The Dive Sites
There are upto 20
dive spots around Pulau Weh,
we
will cover the more popular ones. Gapang house reef is
densely populated with marine life such as scorpionfish,
lionfish, leaffish and blue spotted rays, topography
makes a nice easy dive, it is also a good spot for the
night dive. Pulau Rubia has a couple of nice coral
gardens that drop down to 30 meters or so, black spotted
and honeycomb morays are resident here.
Arus Balee is the name of the water passage around the
rocky pinnacle situated between the islands of Seulako
and Rubiah. Appropriately nicknamed by the Acehnese Arus
Palee, which means bastard current! This attracts the
bigger feeders including sharks and barracuda. Pulau
Seulako offers some great drift diving opportunitys in
the strong currents.
Batee Tokong is a great spot to find morays including
the
rarer
fimbriated and yellow margined species. The sheer
concentration of the creatures here is astounding. A
steep slope densely covered with gorgonians continues
downwards to over 40 meters, where a second wall starts.
On the north side you'll find a 24 to 28 meter deep
plateau commonly called Shark Plateau where black and
white tip reef sharks, gray sharks and the occasional
silvertip are often seen.
Pantee Aneuk Seuke or 'The Canyon' offers caves, arches,
walls and canyons often with big visitors such as
mantas, barracuda and napoleon wrasse. For the deep
freaks the best spot is Pantee Peunateung with its drop
off to around 70 meters. Big schools of trevally and
chevron barracuda are often seen around the drop off,
however caution must be taken diving here as the current
often sweeps downwards. Looking up through the vertical
fields of gorgonians into the dappled sunlight is
magical. Batee Gla has some great rock formations,
swimthroughs and arches which can be good to drift
through when the currents are strong.
There is even a wreck dive
or two here, The 134 meter long Sophie Rickmers is an
impressive wreck, covered with corals and home to
several morays and groupers, situated in the sheltered
bay of Pria Laot. The cargo steam ship was built in 1920
in Germany. On May 1st, 1940 she was one of 5 ships
confiscated by the British in the waters around Pulau
Weh. However the crew of the Sophie Rickmers sunk their
own ship at that same day. Decompression diving is
required here as the wheelhouse is at 37 meters, the
decks at around 45 meters and the straight bow resting
on the bottom lies at over 55 meters deep.
A shallower wreck of a tugboat can be found at 14 meters
in Sabang harbour, she makes for a great macro dive. At
nearby Pria Loat bay streams of hot spring bubbles from
an underwater volcano make a memorable experiance.
Batee Meuduro pinnacle is situated around an hour away
on the south side of Pulau Weh, it is one of the islands
top sites with great viz, big pelagics and several
species of shark.
Come and Discover Indonesia Islands with us!
