Dive Review of Ahe Island Resort/Ahe Island Resort, Cenderawasih-bay in
Indonesia/Ahe Island, West Papua

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Ahe Island Resort/Ahe Island Resort, Cenderawasih-bay, Feb, 2011, by Rachel Thong, Sg, SG ( 1 report). Report 6138.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I give this dive site a 4 as I went there expecting nothing in terms of the dive operator - they are very new to the concept of diving, I did not expect their English to be great, they are not used to tourist so I did not expect the food/service to be great. I went there with the sole purpose to see whalesharks up close and personal and I got that, twice! (had to pay extra for the 2nd trip). The cost is expensive and includes the stay and food + diving and one very long (2 and half hrs) boat ride ONE WAY to see the whalesharks that come up very close to the fishing platforms to eat the fish or get hand fed. You can dive (or snorkle) close up to them and even hand feed them, they are incredibly tame. If you don't get to see them the 1st trip, you get a 2nd trip thrown in or if you want to see them again (& bother to travel that far twice), you pay Euros150 extra which is worth it if you do get to see them. It is an incredible experience even if it does feel like a petting zoo sometimes. The locals treat them as their pets. We swarm hours with them and left before they did! The local kids were playing with them in the water (well, the whalesharks were feeding and the kids were just playing around with them, probably not right but I am not about to tell the locals what's right and wrong) The dive operator do pay the fishermen for the privilege of us jumping into the waters near the fishing platforms. Lets not forget that they are fishermen and live hand to mouth on a daily basis. The boats are not in good condition, one broke down while we were diving (thank goodness not while we were on the long trip to see the whalesharks) and we waited forever just to get a spanner from one of the islands to fix the engine (or something). We weren't worried as we could see the islands and figured out that at most, we could just take a swim but i imagine if you were far out on the way to see the whalesharks and the waves were choppy, it would not be funny. In the end, another boat came by to tow us back. On our way back to the mainland to catch our flight, the boat boy was constantly emptying out the water with a pail. We took all this in stride. The 'dive shop' is not great, you shld look after yr own equipment. They want to help but they just don't know how to take care of expensive equipment. But I gave them a 3 as the locals try really hard, they are just not experienced. The Dutch guy who runs the resort is a non-diver, how can a non-diver run a dive shop so how can he train them and how can they be expected to improve? And he is hardly on the island, he def does not live on the island. The accommodation is cleaned daily, cold water in a coconut tub but we had a hot water bag to shower every night. Food was bad but you get all your protein,vegs and fruits, you had to beg for fish. Some us spoke Bahasa so we were lucky. We all got bitten very badly though! Nets were quite useless, we had coils everywhere but the mossies were relentless! Diving wise, no large fish, corals were so so but we did see critters (pygmy seahorse, shrimps, we saw a pregnant ghost shrimp) and couple of turtles. Its not Manado or Lembeh but then I went there to see whalesharks in a rather unique environment. Dive guides are so so, they were trained in Bali, but again they are new to diving. We basically took care of ourselves. So if you want a unique diving experience with whalesharks, can take care of yourself and your own equipment, then go. Would I go again? Yes but I am the type that can only feel its a real dive trip if it takes more than 30 hrs to get there!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Raja Ampat, Manado, Sipidan, Bali, Galapagos, Malaysia
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	30-32°C / 86-90°F	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	15-20 M / 49-66 Ft
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	None, you can do what you like
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	> 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Ahe Island Resort/Ahe Island Resort, Cenderawasih-bay in Indonesia/Ahe Island, West Papua

Ahe Island Resort/Ahe Island Resort, Cenderawasih-bay, Feb, 2011,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Ahe Island Resort/Ahe Island Resort, Cenderawasih-bay in
Indonesia/Ahe Island, West Papua