6 Great Reasons To Dive PNG Now!

Sitting close to the middle of the Coral Triangle, it’s no wonder that Papua New Guinea (PNG) has some of the best coral reefs in the world, and with regular Air Niugini flights from Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney putting Port Moresby just four or five hours away – it’s strange that it’s sometimes overlooked by many Aussies and Kiwis as a dive destination.

Here’s a new reason to add PNG to your diving plans: the value of the Aussie dollar. Many overseas dive destinations charge in USD or EUR, making an overseas dive trip very expensive right now!

Most PNG dive operators provide AUD pricing for Australian and New Zealand residents, including Walindi Plantation Resort, FeBrina liveaboard, Tufi Resort, Tawali and Lissenung Resort.

Here are a few of our favourite PNG dive sites, and which resorts to dive them with.

Albatross Passage, New Ireland Province, PNG

The signature dive site in Kavieng is Albatross Passage. At an incoming tide, this narrow passage is like fish soup. Eagle rays, mobula rays, big dogtooth tuna, barracuda, plenty of grey reef sharks and loads of other fish can be seen here on almost every dive.

The wall itself is overgrown with big fan corals, black corals and sponges, home to small creatures like nudibranchs, leaf scorpionfish and pygmy seahorse. The easiest access to Albatross Passage is by staying at Lissenung Island.

Josie’s Reef, Kimbe Bay, West New Britain, PNG

Dramatic sea mounts, coral walls and lush coral gardens are all a feature of Kimbe Bay diving, along with a myriad of fish and invertebrate life: Josie’s Reef is covered in a dense forest of sponges, sea-whips and corals, and a giant sea-fan larger than a bus.

Walindi Plantation Resort is the perfect base to explore Kimbe Bay’s reefs and islands.

Cyclone Wall, Oro Province, PNG

Wall diving at its best: from 7m, vertical walls plummet down to beyond 40m then slope away out of sight.

There is plenty to see at all levels: at 20m there are stretches covered in anemones, punctuated by large gorgonians and huge barrel sponges; at 10m hard and soft corals take over playing host to reef sharks, triggerfish, scorpionfish and anthias; at 7m hawksbill and green turtles often ‘hang’ around and finally large brain coral reach up to just under the surface where the crowds of reef fish make for a serene safety stop.

Cyclone Reef has three distinct sites, and all can be dived from Tufi Dive Resort, on whose house reef you’ll find a host of mandarinfish.

Fathers Reefs, West New Britain, PNG

A long extinct volcanic caldera, Fathers Reefs are a series of offshore reefs located along the northern coastline of New Britain.

The underwater topography is startlingly different with dramatic reefscapes, arches and swim throughs. Being offshore, these reefs also attract pelagic activity such as sharks, rays, turtles, and schools of barracuda.

MV FeBrina liveaboard is the way to go to dive Fathers Reefs, which departs the Walindi Resort for eight-day itineraries throughout the year.

Coral Gardens, Tawali, Milne Bay, PNG

We selected Coral Gardens, out of all the amazing dive sites at Tawali for its panoramic array of colourful hard corals – and its easy access.

Even snorkellers can enjoy this gently sloping dive site where corals of every shape, size and colour compete for attention and the reef fish are simply overwhelming in their abundance and diversity.

Nearby Deacon’s Reef has similar coral cover, but a narrower shelf which falls away sharply to the depths, attracting whale sharks, hammerheads, and manta rays to the dive site. Tawali Leisure and Dive Resort is the only dive resort in Milne Bay.

This article was originally published in Scuba Diver ANZ #63

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