Rubiah Island in Sabang is an island located in Sabang, Aceh, Sumatra island. The island with an area of 26 hectares has a million charms of underwater. The island is also often touted as a paradise of divers and commonly dubbed as Rubiah Sea Garden or Sea Garden Rubiah.
The word Rubiah means Salihah or obey. The creation of the Rubiah name on this island comes from the name of a woman named Siti Rubiah who was exiled on this island. Her husband who was a scholar was not happy when Rubiah kept a dog in her house, from that incident Rubiah was expelled with the word “Weh” which means to go. Finally, Rubiah decided to leave her husband to across the island.
Her name now became the name of the island she occupied when she retreated. While the island where her husband lived now known as Pulau Weh. In 1920, Rubiah Island had functioned as a place to quarantine pilgrims before they departed to Mecca and before discharged. Over time this island is only used as a tourist attraction for divers.
Even though the hajj boarding house no longer exists and serves as a quarantine place, this island can calm your mind from the hustle and bustle of the city by presenting the beauty of the sea. To get to this beautiful island, you have to travel for two hours from Banda Aceh by ferry to Pulau Weh. After arrived at Pulau Weh you need to get a motorboat to get to Rubiah Island. When you get off the motorboat, you will be instantly amazed and fascinated by the beauty of the sea because with the visibility of the fish and the reef can be seen through clear water.
A variety of water sports such as diving and snorkeling can be done on the island. For sports activities in the water is quite secured because there are ropes in the sea to indicate areas that cannot be pass by motorboats, even though already entered for the purpose of delivering visitors then the boat should be moving very slowly and wait for visitors who are snorkeling to move first from the area.
When you dive into the water surface you will find marine biota and various species of tropical fish such as angelfish, gigantic clams, school of parrot fish, lion fish and many others. All coral reefs are also thriving around the island.
In the Rubiah Marine Park area, there are various unusual objects such as swings, carcasses and motorcycles, tables, chairs, and various other miniatures. These objects serve to create unique photos for tourists who visit. In addition, the framework made of iron can be a place for corals to grow and multiply. Many fish live and lay eggs between iron cavities and coral reefs. The white sand beaches, the calm and clear water of the sea, and the soothing trees make all your activities will be enjoyable on this island.
For those who do not like water sports like diving and snorkeling, you can relax by just enjoying the beauty of the sea from the beach and from the rental boat. In addition, to open to the public, this island is a marine biota research because there is at least 15 marine biota protected by the Government of Indonesia.
There are only a few small stalls that provide some snacks and it is hard to find accommodation to stay over on this island.
Although already known by many travelers but the island can still keep their nature. In fact, all visitors obey the rules to not litter, catch fish, or take corals. If not us, who else will keep the natural beauty like Rubiah Island in Aceh.
