The Humpbacks of Tonga... Swimming with and photographing the humpback whales of Tonga had been on my personal "to do" for quite some time. Last year I finally got to spend 3 weeks in the Pacific island nation doing just that... Being in the water with such large, but gentle-natured, animals was an all-round fantastic experience! Quite unlike anything I have done previously! Basically it changed my whole focus towards scuba diving and underwater photography. I can now openly admit that I have caught the "big animal bug". Unfortunately that brings with it an expensive looking wish list... But such encounters really are …
Articles
Kavieng’s WWII Wrecks
Kavieng's WWII Wrecks... The small town of Kavieng was seized by the Japanese in January in 1942 when they invaded PNG. That invasion came just seven weeks after the surprise air attack on Pearl Harbour which brought America into WWII. Although it played second fiddle to the huge Japanese naval base at Rabaul in New Britain. Kavieng was in fact a very strategic location for the invading Japanese forces during WWII. The town's location in New Ireland Province meant that it protected their rear. It was also an important part of their military supply chain. Fighting as they were to gain complete control of PNG and then prepare …
The Florida Manatee
The Florida Manatee... Kings Bay in Crystal River is probably the best place in the world to see and photograph the quite unique creature that is the Florida manatee. Because every winter, as water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico drop to the low 70's Fahrenheit. Hundreds of Florida Manatee migrate up the Crystal River to seek refuge in the warm waters of Kings Bay. The Florida Manatee - Warm Water The peninsular that makes up most of the state of Florida is formed by a large plateau of karst limestone. Which sits on a massive subterranean platform of bedrock which stretches far out in to the Gulf of Mexico. Within that …
Kimbe Bay – The Coral Crucible
Kimbe Bay the Coral Crucible. There is a line of thought in the scientific community that this is where it all may have began. Where the first corals originated… a large sheltered bay, roughly one third along the north coast of the large island of New Britain. The bay is called Kimbe and the country is Papua New Guinea. The wild and exciting nation crafted together in colonial times from the eastern half of the huge island of New Guinea and a string of other islands stretching out in to the Bismarck and Solomon Seas. Surveys have shown that the bay is host to around 860 species of reef fish and 400 species of coral. Not to …
Diving The Solomon Islands
Diving the Solomon Islands - like a series of random punctuation marks, the many islands of the Solomons archipelago lay scattered along the southern section of the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire, in between the countries of Papua New Guinea to the north, and Vanuatu to the south. An independent country since 1976, the Solomon Islands are a quite special blend of Pacific Island Melanesian culture and phenomenal tectonic forces, which have created a chain of mountainous islands that are rich in native rainforest, spectacular volcanoes and incredible lagoons. Underwater there are rich reef systems and an amazing variety of marine life …
The Sharks of the Marovo Lagoon
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 …
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 …