Wir waren Anfang Mai 2013 für eine Woche im Ahe Resort und können alles bestätigen, was bisher berichtet wurde. Wir waren nur einmal bei den Walhaien und haben jedoch sieben über eine Stunde lang beobachten können. Dieses Erlebnis gehört zu unseren absoluten taucherischen Höhepunkten und macht die lange Anreise und das sehr einfache Umfeld mehr als wett. Für alle zukünftigen Besucher ist aber wichtig zu wissen, dass die Guides eigentlich kein englisch sprechen, Arne zwar sehr hilfsbereit und nett, aber kein Taucher ist und die Tauchguides nicht sehr gut ausgebildet sind. Man ist selbst verantwortlich für die Organisation der Tauchgänge vor Ort und auch für seine Sicherheit. Wenn man sich darauf einstellt, alle westeuropäischen Maßstäbe zu Hause lässt und sich auch mit den eventuellen anderen Gästen abspricht, steht einem tollen Erlebnis, abseits von jeglichem Tauchtourismus, mit viel Einblick in das Leben der Einwohner dort nichts im Wege.
It all started with a photograph of a whale shark sucking on a fishingnet published in de Dutch Metro in the summer of 2012. I looked up Cenderawasih bay and thought, that’s too far, I’ll never go there! But than I booked another trip that ended in Sorong, Papua. And on the map Cenderawasih bay looked really close. So I started with some serious research. I read several reviews on the internet. Some positive, some negative. I didn’t know what to think and decided to check the place out myself. I went with an open mind and no expectations. Thanks to the general manager Arne we obtained the needed planetickets without any problems. You can find the tickets on internet, but without an asian credit card, you can’t buy them. When we arrived at Nabire airport, without any delays, we were met by a delagation of Ahe Resort. After a car ride and a boat trip we arrived at Ahe Resort on a beautiful little Island. This island is as close to paradise as you’ll ever be. Blue sea, white sandy beaches, palmtrees, beautiful birds and plants and no fridge, no aircon, no internet, no flatscreen, no running water or (hot) shower, no pizza’s & pasta’s, no fresh fruitjuices, no cocktails and no ice-cream. Electricity is limited. But they didn’t have all that in paradise, now did they? The place is not a 5 star resort. If you don’t want to go back to basic, than don’t go. I stayed for 5 nights and loved it. The hut was really nice and spacious. The fact that you jump back a few years in time is pretty relaxing. The young people working at the resort were really nice. So they don’t speak English, I don’t speak Bahasa Indonesia. We just all smiled and that worked fine. I really enjoyed listing to Arne. He is a very interesting man. The diving arround the island was pretty good compared to where we can dive and what we can see in Holland. But we came to see the whale sharks. And we saw 2. It was quit a trip out, but than again, everything at the Ahe Resort is an adventure. And how you like it is totaly up to you.
So if you’re interested in going, read up. The resort page is finillay online. http://ahepapua.wordpress.com It wasn’t when we decided to go. What they write is true. There is just so little I can add. The Ahe Resort is not an ordinary resort. The trip is an adventure and you will meet some chalanges.
Amazing.. A trip to Nabire is troublesome, but it is worth it!! We stayed on Ahe Island for 6 nights (Island is a small and beautiful; everything is rather basic but it works; no AC) and went to see the whale sharks 3 times.. During our first dive we saw 15!! Whale sharks; the second time it was ´only´ 3 and the third time we were surrounded by 8. We also had a blue Marlin passing by (all captured in the video; see link). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ISerGMS_cU If you are looking for something special.. this is the place where you have to go!! Contact for Ahe Island: Arne Pijnakker (ahepapua@gmail.com)