411 Dive Log Australasia April 2025

encounter a few Indian fish species: the Indian mimic surgeonfish “ Acanthurus tristis ”; the Indian humbug “ Dascyllus carneus ” – white with a black stripe and a black dorsal crest; Randall’s fusilier “Pterocaesio randalli”; the Indian sailfin tang “ Zebrasoma desjardinii ” and the Andaman butterflyfish “Chaetodon andamanensis.”. Fahmi points out a nudibranch, “ Glossodoris atromarginata ”, white with a black girdle. It is still dark outside at 5:30 am; it has been raining. I wait until 7 am to look for breakfast – nothing opens before 8 am. At a street stall, I find an Indonesian plate of rice, rice noodles, vegetables, and two cold boiled eggs with some ‘sambal’ red sauce for IDR.15000. Nearby, at Qibo Qibo coffee shop, two old women from the Muslim middle age provide me with hot tea for IDR.6000. A bit further, 72-year-old Halima, sells donuts for IDR.3000 each. I am fixed! Batee Tokong, north of Seulako Island, is the fishiest dive in Pulau Weh. The site’s name means ‘Temple Rock’ because of the shape of the emerging rocks. We submerge on the protected left side, rounding the drop-off to the north. Swirling into the blue was a large school of bigeye jacks, “ Caranx sexfasciatus”. Entering their timeless farandole, they wrapped around me like cottonwool. On the east side, a school of ring-tail surgeonfish, “Acanthurus auranticavus”, all black with a white ring around the caudal peduncle, moves on like a hunting pack. Seulako Cave is west of Arus Balee and Seulako Island, a slope and no current. A hawksbill turtle roams about while two devil rays “ Mobula tarapacana ” cruise by into the blue. Graceful creatures, but too shy. White with dark blotches, a honeycomb moray “ Gymnothorax favagineus ” peeps out of a hole. The cave is an overhang at a depth of 16m, with some sleek unicorns, a couple of bannerfish, a coral grouper and a cool star puffer “Arothron stellatus ” resting on the seafloor Canyon. Zero Point is the northern tip of Pulau Weh, the far end of Sumatra. “We should expect some current”, warns Fahmi. Today, none of it! Big round boulders underwater, as we are headed in a northwest direction. There is not much of a canyon at first, but

the guide informs me later that it starts at the 50m mark. Above, in the 35m zone, the wall is full of gorgonians and Tubastrea green coral, with swarms of orange scalefin anthias. Schooling sleek unicorns, and a big dogtooth tuna, “Gymnosarda unicolor” zooms by, inquisitive. Fahmi leads me down to a rock arch, where he slips through for a photo. A cushion star, Culcita novaeguineae has taken shelter under it A small school of yellow saddle goatfish, “Parupeneus cyclostomus” with yellow phase juveniles, attracts attention. Besides clouds of small blue triggerfish, there is little fish life. Seulako Drift. The island’s east side displays a slight current. Oriental sweetlips “Plectorhinchus vittatus” hover near a boulder, the Indian mimic surgeonfish “Chaetodon tristis” beckons, and the yellow teardrop butterflyfish “Chaetodon interruptus”, with its black tear mark, is a wonder! Fahmi, spots a beautifulcritter, Hematobranchus ornatus , a nudibranch without gills, greenish with pink flat warts on the back, and black rhinophores. Some orange brown sponges appeared at the end of the dive, with pink cup coral attached. There are several variants to the dive sites, such as Arus Balee to Seulako, Seulako to Batee Tokong, etc… One should avoid Pulau Rubiah, a ‘paradise’ for the snorkelers, synonym of much destruction. One special site that stands out is Hot Springs. In Pria Laot Bay, south of Gapang. The silty salt-and-pepper colored sand is the stage for what is left of an ancient volcanic activity: sulfur hot springs. Streams of bubbles rise from the sediment like beads or from some active vents gurgling effusively. It attracts several fish species, juvenile blue-lined snappers ‘ Lutjanus kasmira ” or the whitish Indian puffer “ Arothron immaculatus ”. A must-do experience. Upon surfacing, we were greeted by a tropical rain. Fahmi broke into laughter like a happy kid.

Pierre Constant www.calaolifestyle.com

44

www.divelog.net.au

DIVE LOG Australasia #411- April 25