Diving in PNG... At the closest point of contact just 6km separates Australia from Papua New Guinea. And yet there is so much that is different between these two close neighbours! Australia is a first-world country with many things that are the admiration of the world. Such as generally excellent health, education and social systems, a robust and fully functional democracy together with an average life expectancy of 83 years. PNG on the other hand is very much a third-world country. Which has major issues with its health and education systems, an operating but troubled democracy and an average life expectancy of just 64 …
Rodney Fox – An Aussie Icon
Rodney Fox... I love reading and spend many “quiet time” hours studying my seemingly ever-expanding book collection. And I am particularly fond of autobiographies written by people who have found a way to do something incredible. Whether that be in politics, exploration, adventure or sport. The insight I get in to the author’s persona, ethics and integrity is always interesting and often truly inspiring! But… for all the biographies I have read. Only once did the author look over my shoulder and ask me what I reckoned about their book! So it was last November when Rodney Fox took the time to seek my opinion on his book “Sharks, the …
Big Animals in the Azores
Big Animals in the Azores... Like the tips of icebergs, the islands of the Azores are the peaks of a remarkable chain of underwater mountains. Which are so large, they rank among some of the highest in the world. They rise up from the Azores Platform, a huge area of nearly 6 million km2. Which in itself is just a small part of the incredible Mid Atlantic Ridge, that runs the complete length of the Atlantic Ocean. From the far north and the Arctic Ocean, to the deep south and the Southern Ocean. The Azores Platform is some 2000m below the ocean surface. But the Mid Atlantic Ridge is grounded on to the sea bed another 2000m below that. …
Australian Great White Shark Diving
Australian Great White Shark Diving - Our great brown land down-under, is known for many things... The beaches, the Red Centre, the Great Barrier Reef and the seemingly endless supply of dangerous creatures… However, few of those creatures are considered as terrifying, intimidating and downright BIG as the great white shark. White pointers, as they are often referred to locally, are portrayed as brutally efficient, man-eating monsters. Which constantly patrol our coastlines looking for unsuspecting swimmers and surfers. Much like Freddy Krueger stalks Elm Street looking for victims to participate in the latest nightmare! And when …
Where to Dive in East Timor
Where to Dive in East Timor... On the 20th May 2002, a new country was born to the north of Australia. It was a very painful experience for its people, one they had fought long and hard for. Earning the respect of even those who had opposed its separation from Indonesia. The country, Timor Leste, emerged from centuries of foreign rule - 455 years as a colony of Portugal. And then 24 years under Indonesia after it was “annexed” by its much larger neighbor. In what is a long and sorry tale of colonial exploitation, followed by brutal Cold War “realpolitik”. Timor Leste arrived in the world in a pretty sorry state. With the land …
Underwater Photography in PNG
Underwater photography in Papua New Guinea... PNG, as is it more commonly referred to, is located just south of the Equator and to the north of Australia. It is a large and diverse nation that is known principally for its unique tribal cultures, incredible landscapes and excellent scuba diving. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the main diving locations in PNG. Along with what you can expect to photograph there, but it’s a big topic… So I have tried to provide enough information and insight in to those locations. Plus links you can follow for more detailed information elsewhere on this website. The Best Dive …
Tiger Beach Sharks – The Real Deal?
Tiger Beach Sharks...This shallow, sandy area in the Bahamas is firmly established as one of the global diving destinations. With that fame largely derived from the many published images of its most celebrated visitor - Galeocerdo cuvier, the tiger shark. Tigers are considered one of the “big three” most dangerous sharks. And, along with great whites and bull sharks are believed to be responsible for the vast majority of unprovoked attacks on humans. Renowned for their inherently predatory behavior. Where, much like their terrestrial namesakes, they close in their intended prey slowly and silently before pouncing with deadly …
Diving the North Coast of Milne Bay
Diving the North Coast of Milne Bay... I am often asked why I like Papua New Guinea so much. And the honest answer is, as they say in the movies, it’s complicated! First of all, for me PNG is a wild and adventurous place. And as an Australian I often describe it as “our Africa…” In that it has such amazing topographic and cultural difference to Australia. Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and near the epicenter of the Coral Triangle bless it with incredible biodiversity both above and below the water. It has a very special and almost unique tribal system, that is both the social glue that holds the county together. And yet …
Diving the Witu Islands
Diving the Witu Islands... As they say in the real estate business, location is everything. And it is Papua New Guinea’s physical position, astride the Equator, 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 …