Kavieng WWII Aircraft Wrecks... World War II came to the Australian territory of New Guinea in January 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Rabaul in New Britain. Followed shortly after by the taking of Kavieng in nearby New Ireland. The invasion turned New Guinea into a major theatre of war in the battle for the Pacific. And there were many brutal encounters between the invading Japanese and the defending Australian forces. Conditions were often appalling; the fighting was incredibly fierce, and many young lives were lost on both sides. To this day the poignant relics of those battles are woven into the fabric of the now …
A Guide to Diving Tasmania
Diving Tasmania... The “Apple Isle” is, in so many ways, the hidden gem of Australian scuba diving. And getting to know a bit more about it has been one of the highlights of my personal diving career! There really is a lot to see underwater around Tasmania. But the reality is you would need a couple of months, together with a significant budget to explore it all. My dive buddy and I only had a couple of weeks… So we reached out to various local divers to get their recommendations. This is what we learned about the “must do” locations. And, looking back I think we got it about right. But first of all let’s start with why …
Diving Beautiful Tufi
Diving Beautiful Tufi... The sun was just breaking as we walked across the tarmac towards the small plane that would take us over the mountains. Anxious to leave on time and with a busy day ahead of them. The two-person TropicAir crew ushered us into our seats as they continued their pre-departure checks. Within minutes we were taxiing towards the runway for our take-off from Port Moresby’s Jackson Field. Once airborne the pilot turned the plane south-east. Heading down the coast as we gained enough altitude to turn north and cross those 4000m high peaks. Early morning is the best time to make that journey over the Owen Stanley …
Edi Frommenwiler – Raja Ampat Pioneer
Edi Frommenwiler and Pindito - I have a theory… Completely unproven of course, but very logical (well, to me at least). And it’s that true adventurers have seven genotypes, rather than six like the rest of us. Let’s just call it the AA++ genotype and those individuals with one have inherited an intense desire to explore the world and can never accept a nine-to-five existence. They tend to embark upon their first big adventures in any way they can, as soon as they can. And, in the case of Edi Frommenwiler his chance came by driving trucks in his native Switzerland. But we are not talking about delivering stuff to supermarkets or …
The Wonderful Witu Islands
The Witu Islands... As they say in the real estate business – location, location, location… And it is Papua New Guinea’s location astride the Equator and at the end of what was historically referred to as the Malay Archipelago, that puts it right in the middle of the greatest marine biodiversity on earth - the Coral Triangle. The country occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea (the second largest in the world after Greenland). Plus the many islands of the Bismarck and Louisiade Archipelagos. And… because it straddles the Equator. PNG is exposed to both the Northern and Southern Equatorial Currents. Plus the …
Angelique Songco Mama Ranger
Angelique Songco Mama Ranger... It's a country that has so much to offer the traveling diver and underwater photographer. But there are certain exceptional locations in the Philippines that really stand out. And top of the list has to be the remote reefs and atolls of Tubbataha! Pronounced Toobahtaaha…The name means “long reef exposed at low tide” in Simal. The language of the nomadic Philippine Sama-Bajau sea gypsies, who are believed to have first discovered the area. Physically the TRNP (Tubbataha Reefs National Park) consists of two atolls and one coral reef. Which are located in the middle of the Sulu Sea - effectively the core …
Diving Kavieng in PNG
Diving Kavieng in PNG... A window seat on the early morning flight out of Kavieng is the go. It's my favourite way to end a trip to this special part of Papua New Guinea. For, as the sun rises out of the vast Pacific Ocean to the east. It paints a beautiful soft light over the dozens of small islands and mangroves that fill the gap between the tip of New Ireland and nearby New Hanover. The rich tropical vegetation starts to glow in the special golden hour light. And the channels between the islands turn to silver. Then, as the plane gathers altitude and banks south-west to start the journey to Port Moresby, the complete tapestry is …
Diving Kimbe Bay in PNG
Diving Kimbe Bay in PNG... There is a line of thought among the scientific community that this large, sheltered bay. Located roughly one third along the north coast of the island of New Britain is possibly where the first corals originated. The bay is called Kimbe. And is no doubt about its tremendous biodiversity because the numbers, as they say, cannot lie… Surveys of Kimbe Bay led by distinguished marine biologists Charlie Veron and Jerry Allen. Together with The Nature Conservancy, have identified some 860 species of reef fish, 400 species of coral and at least 12 species of whales and dolphins. Or, put another way... Kimbe …
Conserving Tubbataha
Conserving Tubbataha... These remote reefs in the Sulu Sea enjoy a stellar reputation for their pristine quality and the random pelagic encounters that often happen there. And… having experienced them personally on my first post-pandemic international trip. I can personally vouch for the exceptional diving. It really was an awesome experience to be in the crystal clear. Almost iridescent blue waters of the Sulu Sea exploring those reefs. So much so that I would often find myself pausing in wonder at just how good they were! But there is much more to the Tubbataha story than being a bit star-struck. Because in an isolated part the …