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 …
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea dive locations and information
Witu Islands Diving – Dec 2022 Trip Report
Witu Islands Diving... Some two years and nine months (almost to the day…) after I had to scramble to get out of Papua New Guinea before the borders closed. In early December 2022 I arrived back at Hoskins airport in Kimbe Bay to pick up where I left off. PNG only opened its borders fully to tourists in August. But it seems there are many others like me who were itching to get back as the boat was full. A really great sign after virtually zero inbound tourism for 2.5 years… I was heading for Walindi Plantation Resort where I was booked on board the MV Oceania. For one of its “signature” trips to the Witu Islands in the Bismarck …
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 …
Diving Milne Bay in PNG
Diving Milne Bay in PNG... This large bay on the eastern tip of the Papua New Guinea’s “mainland” is what first brought the country to the attention of travelling divers and underwater photographers around the world. The first articles and images started to appear in the mid-1980’s. Still the very early days of liveaboards in exotic locations that few people had actually heard of… And yet here was this British ex-schoolteacher on board a locally built, custom dive vessel exploring a place called Milne Bay in a country named PNG. His name was Bob Halstead. And together with his then wife Dinah, they established the first …
Diving New Ireland Province in PNG
Diving New Ireland Province... Located along the edge of the Bismarck Archipelago, the province of New Ireland forms the eastern flank of Papua New Guinea. It is quite remote from the main island of New Guinea. And the province has its own remarkably interesting and quite distinct traditional cultures, together with some fantastic diving. It is also world renowned for its fabulous malagan carvings and tatanua masks. Together with its kulap sculptures and overall, the province offers an experience that really is quite different to the rest of PNG. The province consists of the large, musket-shaped island of New Ireland, which is …
Diving New Britain Island in PNG
Diving New Britain Island... Papua New Guinea’s “second island” sits right on the interface of some incredibly powerful forces of nature! Physically located along the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire. New Britain is a large crescent shaped island that is defined by the incredibly high mountain ranges that run down its spine. Together with its many volcanoes… So high are those mountains, they create separate and independent weather systems on the north and south coasts of the island. Making New Britain a remote, different and very interesting place that has some really great diving! Diving New Britain Island – The Benjamins… While Bob …
Diving New Guinea Island in PNG
Diving New Guinea Island... When the 16th century Portuguese and Spanish explorers first arrived in the far-eastern part of what was then called the Malay Archipelago. They had no way of knowing they had stumbled upon the second largest island in the world. Neither could they possibly know that the island is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Occupying just 0.5% of the Earth's surface, but with almost 10% of its species ... And that is just on the land! What they did note though was the similarity between the indigenous people and those of the Guinea region of Africa. Which is how the island came to be called New …
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 …
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 …