The sharks of the Marovo Lagoon hold a special place in the local culture of this part of New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands. In what is said to be the largest salt-water lagoon in the world, life revolves around its waters and swimming is as normal as walking - so from the earliest age Marovians learn about the inhabitants of the lagoon. Reef sharks, rather than being feared, are regarded almost like dogs in that their behavior is generally docile and non-threatening, but they can quickly sense unease and can be potentially dangerous to those who fear or provoke them. They are considered as “home” sharks, and a special type of …
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Diving PNG’s Holy Grail – Black Jack
Diving PNG’s Holy Grail... Like a scene from a Hollywood film set - the huge plane sits serenely in 50m of clear blue water just of the fringing reef near the village of Boga Boga. The area is quite remote at the tip of Cape Vogel on northeast coast of New Guinea island. The wreck is the B17-F Black Jack Flying Fortress and what many consider to be the very best aircraft wreck in Papua New Guinea. Discovered, almost by accident, in 1986 by Australians Rod Pearce, Bruce Johnson and David Pennefather. Who were conducting a dedicated expedition to look for what they thought was probably an Australian Beaufort A9. Pennefather …
Land of the Sleeping Crocodile
Timor Leste Land of the Sleeping Crocodile - the tale of the boy and the sleeping crocodile is told often in this country also known as East Timor. It is used to explain the island’s crocodile-like shape and why the Timorese have a special affinity with the large reptile that is said to inhabit the creeks and pools along much of the south coast of the country. I did not see any crocodiles on my trip to Timor Leste, but I did see some great dive sites along the north coast of the island. A quick look at the map will tell you why there just has to be some great diving because just to the north are the remote islands of Alor and Wetar, …
It’s PNG Expect The Unexpected
It's PNG Expect the Unexpected - Papua New Guinea is truly one of the last frontiers, the country is a wild & adventurous place that offers some tremendous scuba diving, combined with many unique and fascinating things to see above the water. One of the world’s most heterogeneous countries, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a population of around 6.5 million people, but over 850 languages and nearly 1000 traditional societies & ethnic indigenous groups. X-Ray magazine recently published an extensive section on scuba diving in Papua New Guinea featuring articles on Tufi, Milne Bay, New Ireland and New Britain and asked me to write an …
Kimbe Bay Conservation – Part 2
Conserving Kimbe Bay - what would you do if one day you realized that the side-effects of the industry you helped to introduce were starting to degrade the pristine environment of your backyard - turn a blind eye... hug a tree perhaps? Well, if you are anything like Max and Cecilie Benjamin, you fight long and hard to protect it and establish a framework that will empower the local population to take ownership of the process. Easier said than done, particularly in that complex equation that is Papua New Guinea... But Mahonia Na Dari, next door to Walindi Plantation Dive Resort, is living proof that it can be done and a testament to …
Ambon – Maluku’s Magical Island
Diving Ambon: Indonesia is without doubt a country that can constantly surprise and delight you - usually when you are least expecting it! The huge archipelago of more than 17,000 island offers some of the best diving in the world, ranging from the incredible reefs of Misool in Raja Ampat to the amazing critters of the Lembeh Strait. The island of Ambon, in the Spice Island province of Maluku, is best known for the muck and critter diving along both sides of it's massive natural harbor. It is also the home of the Twilight Zone - possibly the most prolific and certainly the weirdest muck site in the country. But the island also …
The Conservation of Kimbe Bay – Part 1
Kimbe Bay Conservation - there is a line of thought among the marine scientific community that Kimbe Bay is probably where the first corals originated – a theory that has evolved as a result of the various surveys conducted to assess and quantify the bay’s biodiversity. Do the math as they say... almost 900 species of fish, 10 species of whales and dolphins and 400+ species of stony corals. To put that in a global perspective – in an area roughly the same size as California, it is estimated that Papua New Guinea is home to almost 5% of the world’s marine biodiversity. Just under half of that fish fauna and virtually all of the …
Diving Bali: The Insiders Guide to the Liberty Wreck…
The wreck of the USAT Liberty, just off the beach at Tulamben in the north-east of the island, is Bali's most famous dive and people travel from all over the world to experience it, so much so that on a really busy day there can be up to 150 divers on the wreck.... So is its popularity killing it and is it still worth diving - or should we just move on and leave it to the backpackers? In January this year I decided to immerse myself on the Liberty and rather than 1 or 2 dives a day like I normally do on the wreck when I stay in Tulamben, I did 4 to 5 a day for 6 days... Getting up at 5 so that we could be in the water by 6 everyday …
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Papua New Guinea: The Facial Tattoos of Oro Province
One of the most visually intriging things about the local villagers around Tufi in Oro Province are the facial tattoos worn by many of the women – something you would not really be aware of without making the effort to visit them… Tattoos, and body art in general, have enjoyed a significant renaissance in western society over the last 20 years or so and have become both a badge of honor for those seeking to firmly establish their non-conformity and a trendy fashion accessory to others. So it was quite fascinating to see them as an integral part of village customs rather than a recent phenomenon. From an anthropological perspective …
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