Orca Scuba have teamed up with Pulau Weh Paradise to open our new PADI dive center at their resort on the beautiful island, “Pulau Weh” just off the northern most tip of Sumatra, in Aceh province, Indonesia.
Steeped in local lore Pulau Weh or “moving island”, also called Sabang was once part of mainland Sumatra until volcanic activity separated it and it began “moving away”.
The island has been referenced throughout history as far back as 301 BC when an earth expert from Greece Ptolomacus sailed to the east & dropped anchor by an obscure island in the mouth of the Strait of Malacca. On the map he produced he called the island Golden island, known today as Pulau Weh!
Later referenced by the infamous Chinese mariner and admiral Cheng Ho (Zhen He) who stopped where “there is land with towering mountains” which he named Mount Mao.
There has been much debate about the origins of both the names Sabang and Pulau Weh throughout the ages, but since the beginning of the 15th century these names have stuck and the island is called Sabang by the locals and Puala Weh or just Weh by everyone else.
Around the turn of last century, it was a fishing village with a harbor which the Dutch later deepened when they built a large coal depot there. Their influence can still be seen in some of the islands buildings.
Source
Before the second world war the port was very busy and was compared to Singapore as one of the busiest ports in the Malacca strait, at one time considered one of the most important ports of Indonesia, once diesel-powered marine vessels became the norm, Sabang was forgotten as Singapore thrived.
Today when you drive across Weh early in the morning and watch the sea mist rise over the jungle covered hills you could be forgiven for thinking you arrived in some prehistoric land. It is hard to imagine that it used to be a very busy industrial port. Now the economy on the island is mainly agriculture with the main products being cloves and coconuts.
Small scale fisheries also operate in the area, though due to some past destructive fishing practices, since 1982 the Indonesian government declared 26 square kilometers of the surrounding sea as well as 34 square kilometers inland as a protected wildlife area. Since then the wildlife both above and below the waves has flourished and Weh is now coming back into the spotlight of the government, but this time as a potential eco-tourism hotspot.
The island has a lot to offer for those seeking adventure. The volcanic rocky terrain is covered in lush jungle and due to its protected status it is home to an abundance of wildlife such as monkeys, wild boar, monitor lizards, flying dragon (lizards) and a host of colourful insects.
Below the waves pristine reefs teem with a huge variety of marine life, reef fish, nudibranch, turtles and some big pelagic life such as hammerhead and even mega mouth sharks have been spotted. Weh is also renowned as moray eel capitol of the world with one type or another found in every other hole in the reef.
The surrounding ocean really has something for every type of scuba diver, there are some shallow easy dives close to shore for those that are still at beginner level. However, the diving is better suited to more experienced divers as powerful currents and the underwater seascape with its deep rifts and mounds creates super exciting drift dives & the opportunity to explore some deeper dive sites if you have the right qualification.
There is even a 134M long WW2 ship wreck. The Sophie Rickmers is a cargo steam vessel built in Germany in 1920. During World War 2 it was one of five ships confiscated by the Dutch in the waters surrounding Pulau Weh, but was sunk by its own crew before the requisition was complete. It lies at a depth of 55m with the wheelhouse top at approximately 37M and is diveable for professionals as a decompression dive.
Source
The wreck was almost lost forever in 2014 to a salvage company, but thanks to a petition started by local resident Nu Husien and a letter from the Mayor of Sabang to the Minister of Marine and Fisheries won through and prevented the salvage.
This just goes to show that the local population appreciate the unique bio diversity on their island home and understand that, through eco-tourism they can make a living in harmony with its wild inhabitants.
We are offering special room rates when booked with a dive package for our soft launch on the 1st of August, so if you feel like joining us on the adventure of a lifetime contact us at [email protected] to find out more.
