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 …
Papua New Guinea
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 …
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 …
Best Aircraft Wrecks in PNG
The Best Aircraft Wreck Dives in PNG - World War II came to New Guinea in January 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Rabaul in New Britain. Turning the region in to a major theater of war in the battle for the Pacific. There were many brutal encounters between the Japanese and the defending Allied forces. Conditions were often appalling, and the fighting was incredibly fierce with many young lives lost on both sides. WWII was the first time that air power played a major role in combat. And both sides had some formidable aircraft in action during the campaign for New Guinea. War is of course deadly by nature. But for the …
Aircraft Wrecks of PNG
The aircraft wrecks of Papua New Guinea offer some of the best and most interesting, dives in the country... PNG was a major battle theater during the Second World War. Many lives were lost on both sides in the bitter fighting between the invading Imperial Japanese forces and the Allies. Thus the tide was turned, halting the PNG's occupation and the planned invasion of Australia to the south. Aircraft Wrecks of Papua New Guinea - Lost Souls Allied and Japanese aircraft played a very significant role in the fighting in PNG. Because of that many planes were lost - either shot down in combat, mechanical failure and simply …