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Published: July 16th 2008
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Earlier this month we embarked on a trip through North Sumatra, joined by DIVE magazines reporter Charlotte Boan. Our eleven day tour started in the inland jungle of Bukit Lawang, from there we made our way to Pulau Weh island in the north .Our intention was to promote North Sumatra as a tourist destination through Dive Safari Asia, particularly Pulau Weh and Bukit Lawang which have in recent years had their tourist industry threatened. Both destinations have a lot to offer and tourism is at its most earliest of stages, for those willing the rewards are real and exciting, this is what we hoped would come across from our visit.
As soon as our faces broke the surface at Battee Gla dive site we knew we would all be in for an impressive five days of diving. Conditions were ideal, visibility exceeded 35 meters and the currents were swirling round the finger shaped cluster of rocks at the North West point of the island. To say this area is exposed is surely an understatement, this is the last point of western Indonesia, so called ‘Kilometer 0’. As Ton, owner of Lumba Lumba Diving puts it ‘you feel like your at
the edge of the world’ and in many ways you are. The start of the dive was fairly easy going but as we began to pass the point the currents began to pick us up and send us in all directions imaginable, much of the dive was spent clinging onto rocks and taking in the action. Even Arun, an experienced guide came up with a beaming smile ‘strong current’ he breathed as we climbed back onto the boat.
Our afternoon dive was somewhat more relaxing. As we drifted along the reef slopes of Rubiah Sea Garden we got a chance to spot some the rare marine life that you might only expect from a dive in Indonesian waters. Dart Gobies, Frogfish, Carrier Crabs, Morays of all kinds and many other critters all made appearances.
By we the time we returned to the diveshop Mama Donut was already waiting, her green basket in hand. Charlottes face lit up as she took her first bite and for the next five days Mama and our reporter seemed to get on very well, photo shoots and all. We even began to worry that she may have stolen some of our thunder. Joking
aside Mama Donut is just another example of how well Lumba Lumba integrate themselves with the local community, at just over 5 pence a donut she has made a living from this trade for over 5 years. Just alongside the diveshop the boat that was built after the Tsunami is having its hull refitted. Local craftsman from the village use exactly the same techniques they have done so for generations, using only natural local materials. Many of the Divemasters are locals that have been trained up at no cost as part of their way of involving local people.
During our time on Pulau Weh we also got a chance to visit epic sites like Canyon and as Sunny our dive master put it the regions trump card Batee Tokong. Both sites have literally fields of Gorgonian Fans and are pristine and untouched in every way. Black Tip Sharks, Leaf Scorpion Fish, Clown Triggers and plenty of Octopus were spotted all in fantastic conditions. Another highlight was the Hot Springs dive site, as we approached we could smell the Sulphur as it passed up through the volcanic vents below. We jumped in and made our way towards the bubbles which
rise up from large cracks in the sea bed. The water was a lot colder than at the other sites so we all found a vent to sit in and warm up - our own Jacuzzi in the sea. Between dives to the outer reefs we all got plenty of time in on the house reef, at any point in the day or early evening its possible to grab a tank, walk just a few meters from the dive shop to the house reef then spend as much time as you like looking for rare critters on the sand or reef slopes of Gapang Beach. This dive is in many ways similar to a muck dive on the Lembeh Straits, the diversity is simply astounding, ideal for photographers of all ability.
Finally we must just add that during our five days of diving in North Sumatra we did not see any other divers or dive boats that weren’t part of our group at Lumba Lumba and the tick off list of sightings would have filled a few sheets of A4. All in all we’re very proud to be offering Pulau Weh.
In Bukit Lawang, a few hours drive
South from the capital Medan we were met by Agun, our jungle guide who has been working with tourists since the age of ten and has recently set up an adventure travel operation at the foot of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Amongst his itineraries are 7 day treks into one of the largest remaining areas of untouched jungle in Asia, encounters with anything wild is highly likely from big snakes, Orang Utans, Sumatran Tigers, Elephants and Rhinos. Preferring to take the more relaxed option we decided to spend the day white water rafting down the Wampu River stopping off at the hot springs and waterfalls for a bite to eat. Aside from being waved and laughed at by the local children at the banks of the river we saw Macacs, Thomas Leaf Monkeys and Monitor Lizards. During our stay we also spent some time photographing the semi wild orang utans that come to the feeding platform as part of a rehabilitation program. Of course our trip would not have been complete without a night of live music from our Indonesians friends and the guitar was passed round a number of times as the Bintang Beers were sank on the
banks of the Bohorok River. As we arrived back at Medan for our return to Kuala Lumpur on our Becak (motorbike sidecar) we were treated like celebrities, queuing up in the traffic we had waves and ‘Hello Ms, Mr’ from almost anybody who could see our skin colour was on the paler side.
We would like to thank all the people that made this trip run so smoothly, from the guesthouse owner in Kuala Lumpur who gave us all a tear jerking hug as we left for the airport to each and everybody who came to our assistance as we lugged 70 kilos of dive and camera gear around, Indonesia once again showed us a good time and we’ll certainly be back for more.
For more information on diving asia, including travel advice to Pulau Weh and more visit
or for more info on our small group diving tours visit
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