The Complete Guide to Diving New Ireland… Located along the edge of the Bismarck Archipelago, the province of New Ireland forms the eastern flank of Papua New Guinea. Quite remote from the main island of New Guinea, the province has its own distinct and interesting traditional cultures.
It is also world renowned for its fabulous malagan carvings, tatanua masks, and kulap sculptures. All together, New Ireland offers an experience that is quite different to the rest of PNG.
The province consists of the large, musket-shaped main island of New Ireland, which is also known as Latangai. Together with numerous other smaller islands. The largest of which is New Hanover.
Diving New Ireland is centered around Kavieng, the main town and provincial capital and is quite different from the other main locations in Papua New Guinea like Milne Bay and Kimbe Bay.
New Ireland offers a broad smorgasbord of diving – with shipwrecks, WWII aircraft wrecks, dramatic walls, dynamic channels, bustling reefs and schooling pelagics!
Above water Kavieng is a laid-back and friendly place with an interesting colonial and WWII history. And is often described as a typical “Somerset Maugham South Sea island port”
The Complete Guide to Diving New Ireland
Diving Kavieng – The Nexus…
Diving Kavieng… Mention the small town of Kavieng among any group of experienced scuba divers and you will quickly discern four key themes. Wrecks, big currents, schooling pelagics and clear blue water. A quick look at the map, combined with a very basic awareness of oceanography, will tell …
Kavieng Dive Sites Overview
Kavieng Dive Sites… There is a lot to see underwater around the northern tip of New Ireland. Starting with Kavieng’s signature WWII aircraft wrecks and a scuttled Taiwanese fishing boat. Then there are the dynamic walls and channels in the south, some excellent reefs and the …
The Der Yang Wreck
The Der Yang wreck sits serenely on its side in 30m of water, near the Echuca Patch reef on the Pacific Ocean side of Kavieng. In her former life the Der Yang was a Taiwanese long-line fishing boat. Which was seized in the late 1970’s by the Fisheries Ministry because of suspected of “illegal activities”. …
The Deep Pete Wreck
The Deep Pete wreck is in my opinion the most photogenic of the WWII aircraft wrecks in the Kavieng area. It is also very much my personal favorite! The plane itself is a Mitsubishi F1M float-plane, which saw fairly extensive service with the Japanese Imperial Navy during WWII. The F1M was designed …
Albatross Passage
Albatross Passage, in my opinion… is the very best of all the many excellent sites on the Bismarck Sea side of Kavieng. Often described as the area’s signature dive, its conditions and visibility fluctuate with the tide and prevailing currents. But when you catch it at the right moment, it’s hard to imagine …
The Catalina Wreck
The Catalina wreck lays in 20m of water near the entrance to Kavieng’s harbor. The wreck are the remains of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) PBY Catalina A24-11. Which crashed dramatically on the 15th January in 1942 after one of its wing bombs accidentally exploded. PBY A24-11 was on a …
Diving New Hanover
Diving New Hanover… The second largest island in New Ireland province is located some 40km to the west of Kavieng. It is a volcanic, rugged and very much untamed island! Its traditional name is Lavongai Island and most divers probably never have heard of it. It is actually much better known …
Dive Operators & Logistics
Kavieng Dive Operators & Logistics. Located at the eastern end of PNG, New Ireland is fairly remote from the main island of New Guinea and the capital Port Moresby. Which is currently the only international airport in to Papua New Guinea. However it is well serviced by Air Nuigini. There …
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