Diving on Pulau Weh

Here on Pulau Weh we are diving all year round. 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. Which is ranging from tiny critters to grand pelagics.

The landscapes on all sites are magnificent and diverse. The average visibility is 20+ meters, and often more than 30 meters, especially when diving deep. The water temperature is usually 28-29 degrees Celsius, with sometimes colder upwellings which bring extremely clear visibility of over 40 meters from the dephts of the open ocean around Weh.

"An unbelievable amount and variety of marine life"

On one average dive you can easily log a dozen of moray eels (of five or more different species), beautiful sea fans, hunting trevallies, neon rivers of fusiliers, a couple of stingrays and maybe an octopus or two.

Depending on the location, time and current, it’s quite likely to add tuna, barracuda, sharks (white tip, black tip and occasionally a grey reef or hammerhead), big groupers and giant reef rays. Quite frequently we can also see devil or eagle rays! The most colorful nudibranches, ghost-pipe fishes, tiny seahorses and squat lobsters can be spotted when going ‘macro’.

Our Flexible Diving Schedule

In general, we dive two times a day and three times when requested. We can also arrange full day boat trips to further dive locations. Following local fisherman tradition, there is no diving from Thursday night at 18.00 till Friday afternoon at 14.00. However, we still dive two times on Fridays for those who can’t keep themselves out of the water.

We plan multilevel dive profiles to prolong bottom time, with a maximum dive time of 60 minutes. The main dive sites are in Pulau Weh’s National Marine Park and within close reach (on our speedboats just 10 to 30 minutes max!). Usually each dive is a separate boat trip as we are spending surface intervals relaxed back on the beach.

Even though our boats can cater up to 11 diving guests, we usually have very small groups to maximum of 4 people per guide, assuring you the best diving experience you can get here on Pulau Weh.

Didn’t get enough diving in during the day time? How about a DAWN, DUSK and/or NIGHT dive? Which we would be happy to arrange for you.

Are you planning a group trip?

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Explore Pulau Weh Dive Sites

Close - 2 min by boat

1. Gapang Housereef

Make a long shallow beach dive and enjoy the diverse marine life in the bay part of our house reef. The house reef is densely populated by wonderful macro opportunities like different scorpion and lion fish species, stone fish, cow fish, garden eels and sting rays. Special are the cockatoo wasp fish and the small size bi and even tri-oscillated lionfish. Look for frog fish, sea moth, different species of pipe fish, razor fishes, shrimps and a great mosaic of fish surrounding the cleaning stations, including cat fish, angel and butterfly fishes, schools of red tooth trigger fishes and more passing by. The banded sea snake and the look-a-like snake eel can be studied from close by. Different species of moray are commonly found. Hawksbill and occasionally green turtles can be seen roaming on the right side of the bay till Batee Dua and Limbo Gapang.

Check out the jetty pillars on the left side of the bay for tiny octopus, rare crabs and shrimps, cuttlefish or squid hunting at night. And if you’re passing by during a dusk/nightdive don’t forget to search for the tiny but pretty mosaic boxer crabs which are hiding in the cracks of the rocks.

Straight out from the boat line, further over the sandy area, you can find a low coral field at 22- 26 m which is home of more special macro subjects like sea horses, burrfish, a number of brightly coloured nudibranches and many other cool critters like mototi octopus, spiny tiger shrimp or orang-utan crab which occasionally visit the reef. Nicknamed Seahorse Reef.

Just straight out in the sandy area on 14 m depth, with sunken trees we created an artificial reef home of schools of pufferfish and lionfish a plenty of cleaner shrimps.

2. Batee Gua

On the east side of the beach you can snorkel out to Batee Dua (Two Rocks) and start the deep part of your dive at 30 m and head back to the shallower reef closer to the beach. Be on the lookout for reef sharks, marble rays and barracuda. The resident turtles can often be found here. There is a huge field of garden eels too!

3. Stingray Point

Stingray Point, located off Pulau Weh in Indonesia, is a popular dive site known for its crystal-clear waters and diverse marine life. The site is famous for its abundance of stingrays, which can often be seen gliding along the sandy bottom. The dive offers an opportunity to explore vibrant coral gardens, schools of colorful fish, and occasional sightings of larger pelagics. With gentle currents and good visibility, Stingray Point is a great spot for both novice and experienced divers.

5. Limbo Gapang

Two minutes by boat, from Gapang Beach, there is an underwater mountain with a plateau at 7m. We regularly spot a school of barracudas, colorful fusiliers and nudibranchs. Because we usually dive ‘Limbo’ later on Friday afternoon, just before sunset, there are always a few octopus and cuttlefish hanging around.

Near - 5 min by boat

4.Hot Springs

This very unique dive site is one of Pulau Weh’s special treasures! In the bay of Pria Laot, you will dive in hot water bubbles which release from the sandy bottom (5-15m). The cracks & vents change shape and size every time. It might be a bit smelly on the surface, due to sulfur, but it’s definitely a memorable experience.

7. Batee Meuronon

Just 5 minutes from Gapang, but still a less frequented divesite. It’s a rocky outcrop, where strong currents can sweep through. Big boulders dominate the scenery and build a perfect hiding place for different species of stingray, for example the giant reef rays and marbled stingrays. In addition turtles, different kinds of moray eels and big schools of black snappers can be found hanging out in the ”pool” between the rocks in the area at safety stop level. And if you are lucky, there might be a blacktip reef shark cruising by at the bottom of the reef. Go and play between the boulders!

8. Rubiah Seagarden

This is a relaxed divesite, famous for its colourful shallow coral gardens. From 10 m down follow the rocky slope with big branching hard corals till over 30 m before hitting sandy bottom.

See colourful nudibranches and flatworms and a couple of amazingly red fluorescent bubble anemones at 13 m. You are almost sure to find the beautiful honeycomb morays here, sometimes you can see them free swimming in full length! Check out the difference if you spot a black spotted or black blotched moray, both quite similar to the honeycomb moray.

Islands - 8 min by boat

9. Rubiah Utara

Starting off on the northern tip of Rubiah Island, you will dive above a sloping area of fan and whip corals, as you make your way into a channel towards Arus Balee. The deep part of the site offers beautiful scenery with huge boulders and gigantic sea fans forming a dense cover of orange, pink and red colors.

10. Arus Balee

Blennie

The fishiest dive site on Pulau Weh, you will for sure be amazed by diving in fish soup. Appropriately nicknamed by the Acehnese – Arus Palee, (which means bastard current 😉) – you will be surrounded by a large variety of fish. Some of them being: colorful fusiliers, hunting trevallies, a school of black snappers, coral breams, giant sweetlips and many ribbon eels.

11. Seulako Cave

The “cave” is actually an overhang that lays below a shallow channel. Inside you will discover a wealth of fish, critters and beautiful corals hanging from the top of the overhang. No need to swim far into it or have special training, the fish will come straight to you. Have a look out for ribbon eels waiting to catch an anthias fish snack.

12. Seulako Drift

Follow the current and the fish and you will experience flying while diving. Soar over a rocky, sloping reef, filled with hard corals and fields of soft leather corals. Be sure to look into the blue to catch the schools of devil rays, reef sharks, fusilier, trevally and tuna. This is an action-packed dive site for sure.

Specials - 10 min by boat

13. Batee Tokong

With its spectacular scenery and its abundance of marine life, Batee Tokong will not only WOW you, but also be the most memorable dive site of your trip. A chance to see everything, as it’s a very large dive site with a diverse topography. It’s hard to know which way to look between seeing schooling devil rays, whitetip and blacktip sharks, schools of barracudas, big tunas, eagle rays and hunting trevallies. If that’s not enough for one dive, we promise you will see 100 moray eels of several different types. Tokong is not only about seeing the big stuff, but here you can also find a plethora of macro

14. Shark Plateau

Found on the north side of Batee Tokong, this 24 meter deep plateau, is a place to see black and white tip reef sharks and the occasional gray reef shark. It’s also a favorite spot for big schools of trevallies, tuna, eagle rays and tons of fusilier. This is an advanced only dive site, Nitrox recommended. trevallies, a school of black snappers, coral breams, giant sweetlips and many ribbon eels.

16. Batee Gla

The rocks at this location form a ridge from the surface sloping down to more than 40 meters deep. The massive rock formations with its pinnacles and swim-throughs offers a spectacular view. Combined with the usual current that sweeps past, it’s as if flying over a mountain ridge on a hang glider or a small plane. Battee Gla usually has great visibility to fully enjoy the view.

Advanced Sites

17. The Canyon

This dive site is all about topography. You will have the unique experience of descending down a deep wall, diving through an underwater canyon, filled with 100’s of beautiful gorgonian fan corals, and ending your dive by passing under a natural arch. It’s a must-see dive site.

18. Pantee Peunateung

An amazingly beautiful, crescent moon shaped deep wall, where you will find a resident school of circling jacks. Peunateung is a deep dive site with the bottom well beyond the regular limits of recreational diving. You will feel like you’re diving in a river of colorful fusilier, amongst tuna, school of barracudas, giant sweetlips and blubber lip snappers.

Wreck Diving

The Sunken Tugboat

The Sunken Tugboat Dive Site in Pulau Weh, Sabang Harbour, offers a fascinating underwater exploration of a well-preserved tugboat wreck at 15-20 meters depth. The wreck, covered in vibrant corals and sponges, attracts an array of marine life. Divers can spot crocodile fish camouflaged on the sand, nudibranchs adorning the hull, and twin-spot lionfish inside the steering cabin. Schools of reef fish, moray eels, and occasional trevally add to the site’s diversity. With excellent visibility and a unique blend of history and marine life, it’s a must-dive spot in Pulau Weh.

The Ferry Wreck

The Ferry Wreck near Pulau Weh, situated in the Bay of Pulau Kah, is an intriguing dive site, known for its accessibility and historical significance. This wreck, believed to be a sunken ferry, lies partially submerged in the clear blue waters, providing a fascinating glimpse into the past. Over time, marine life has made the wreck its home, with vibrant corals and various species of fish now inhabiting its structure, creating a thriving underwater ecosystem. Divers can explore the rusted remains of the ferry, which offer an eerie yet captivating view of how nature gradually reclaims human-made objects. The site is often considered an excellent spot for both recreational divers and those interested in underwater photography due to its rich marine biodiversity and relatively shallow depth. The surrounding bay itself is calm and scenic, offering a peaceful contrast to the wreck’s haunting presence.

The world famous WWII Wreck "Sophie Rickmers"

The 134 meter long “Sophie Rickmers” is an impressive wreck, covered with corals, situated in the sheltered bay of Pria Laot. The cargo steam ship was built in 1920 in Germany. During WW II, the “Sopie Rickmers” was one of the 5 ships which were confiscated by the British on May 1, 1940 in the waters around Pulau Weh. However, the crew of “Sophie Rickmers” sunk their own ship at that same day.

The wreck is home to a giant grouper, giant morays and giant trevallies. A school of unicorn file fishes often swims past to add some confusion of “whatizat?” to your nitrogen narcosis, and schools of batfishes accompany you down and up along the mooring line. Most special fish to try and remember to notice is probably the black-spot angelfish (Genicanthus melanospilos). Usually rare to find because of its preference for deeper waters, it’s fairly abundant on this wreck, if you just don’t forget to look for it. With the wheelhouse at 37 m, the decks at around 45 m and the straight bow resting on the bottom at over 55 m deep, we organize the wreck dive as a special decompression dive for experienced deep divers only.

A preparation dive is part of the program. Technical dives with gas switches on request.

Day Trips

NORTH Pulau Rondo

This island is located in the north-west of Pulau Weh. With a boatdrive of approximately 1 hour it is the most far away dive site and can be organised on special request only.

Usually we plan two dives at this remote site. The first dive will be around the current swept pinnacles that are located to the southwest of the island. These entire pinnacles make up for a very varied underwater topography with small walls completely covered in soft coral which turn into beautiful slopes full of gorgonias. This is the playground for a variety of reef fish including many different species of Angelfish together with trevallies, barracudas and the odd pelagic. If the current is not to strong and you look closely, you might even discover one of the many tiny nudibranchs hidden on the reef.

The second dive is usually done in the shallow area between the pinnacles and the island. Here in a depth of only 8 – 10 meters you can see the remains of a large steam ship. Huge parts of the engine room are still clearly distinguishable where as you need to have a closer look to see the remains of the hull, which are already embedded in the healthy hard coral reef. As you follow the reef slope to about 16 meters depth you might bump into a banded sea snake or one of the different species of morays which call the hard coral colonies their home. The end of the dive will be spend around a beautiful little pinnacle that is covered in anemones and hard coral and reaches until 5 meters underneath the surface. Perfect for an extended safety stop!

EAST Anoi Hitam

A new destination which we organize as a 2 dive daytrip with lunch included. Get surrounded by the many sweetlips and numerous other schools of fish here, and enjoy the incredible density of all kinds of Acropora hard corals in the shallows.

SOUTH Batee Meuduro

Situated on the south side of Pulau Weh, this is surely one of Pulau Weh’s top dive sites, but due to its distance it is usually operated as a 2 tank daytrip. Visibility is usually very good here and the often fierce currents around this pinnacle attract lots of pelagic fish; tuna, mackerel, huge schools of barracuda’s, napoleon wrasse and different species of rays and sharks.

We often start the dive with a descent in the blue, flying into the direction of the Batee Meuduro rocks. Giant vase sponges arise from the deep before we head to the left side of the plateau. Once in the shelter of big Meuduro rock, we ascent to the shallow plateau, which is covered with huge table corals, a perfect hiding place for lobsters, stone fish, sleeping baby sharks and more.

Less experienced divers can dive this dive site when planning the shallow plateau side only.

WEST Lhong Angen and Pantee Gua

A lively underwater pinnacle and some shore dive locations on the west side of Pulau Weh. Less frequented dive sites due to the distance, but organized as a daytrip with 2 or 3 dives. Spend surface intervals snorkelling to the bat cave between the dramatic rocks or relax and lunch on the secret white sand beach.

On the pinnacle itself it can have strong currents but within big schools of Devilrays, Eaglerays, Barracudas and Jacks. The deep pinnacle Pantee Gua starts at around 14m but is beautiful grown with corals and visited by all kind of reef fish.

On the long stretch of Pasir Puthis beaches you can find a beautiful and healthy coral garden and with a shallow dive until 12m it is the perfect spot as second dive. Usually really protected with massive soft and hard corals it covers a long stretches to just dip in and enjoy the marine life.

When you’ve been out of the water for awhile, it’s time for a refresher! Our refreshers are available everyday and are taught by experienced Divemasters or Instructors! Together you will go over basic dive theory, setup equipment, practice skills and go for a housereef dive.

Ready to advance your diving to the next level? Check out our training options.