Best place to dive in PNG?

[scubachild]

Anyone with experience diving PNG? There seems to be 4 different areas to choose from:-

Milne Bay Province
Eastern Fields/Coral Sea
North coast from Madang and Wewak.
Kimbe Bay, New Britain Island

I want to make a 1 week live-aboard to 1 of these areas - anyone with experience I would love to hear. Please share,
Thank You
scubachild

 

[ocdiver1]

Sure...been to Milne Bay a number of times, also have dove Tufi, Loloata (near Port Moresby), and around Rabaul. You've missed listing New Ireland (Kavieng) although I've yet to make it there. Golden Dawn for Eastern Fields I don't believe is currently operating. Very few LOB options in PNG at present.. just Chertan and Febrina as far as I know. If you have some specific questions, feel free to pm

 

[scubachild]

Dear ocdiver1 - thank you for your reply. I have emailed Golden Dawn but no reply yet. FeBrina seems like the best option certainly in terms of organisation, response to emails and quality of the vessel. So you have not dived the Kimbe Bay area including Fathers Reefs...? Chertan is a bit too basic on the comfort level.

I wonder what happened to MV Spirit of Niugini operating out of Milne Bay and the Tawali Resort? I emailed them a year ago and again yesterday but never received any reply... Looks like a beautiful vessel
Tawali a private retreat to enjoy the wonders of PNG

Thanks to all for any info

 

[Rhone Man]

Sure...been to Milne Bay a number of times, also have dove Tufi, Loloata (near Port Moresby), and around Rabaul. You've missed listing New Ireland (Kavieng) although I've yet to make it there. Golden Dawn for Eastern Fields I don't believe is currently operating. Very few LOB options in PNG at present.. just Chertan and Febrina as far as I know. If you have some specific questions, feel free to pm

Any specific recommendations in relation to land based diving holidays (assuming liveaboards are a limited option)?

 

[Moray]

Highly recommend Walindi Resort and the Febrina

 

[clownfishsydney]

Kimbe area consistently rates very highly (ie Febrina and Walindi). However, any location is good, I have been to Rabaul, Kavieng, Tufi, Madang and Port Moresby and all were excellent.

 

[ocdiver1]

Dear ocdiver1 - thank you for your reply. I have emailed Golden Dawn but no reply yet. FeBrina seems like the best option certainly in terms of organisation, response to emails and quality of the vessel. So you have not dived the Kimbe Bay area including Fathers Reefs...? Chertan is a bit too basic on the comfort level.

I wonder what happened to MV Spirit of Niugini operating out of Milne Bay and the Tawali Resort? I emailed them a year ago and again yesterday but never received any reply... Looks like a beautiful vessel
Tawali a private retreat to enjoy the wonders of PNG

Thanks to all for any info

Unfortunately, Spirit of Niugini has been out of operation for quite some time and is being refurbished on site at Tawali.. True I have not dove Kimbe..but can highly recommend both Tawali in Milne Bay and Tufi Dive Resort in Tufi. In particular Milne Bay...Tawali is top notch..nice accommodation, good food and expert guides, and diving is quite varied with healthy reefs, schools of fish, walls, chance for pelagics, and muck diving..in fact it is where the term muck diving was coined. One additional thing I like about Tawali is the proximity of two excellent top side attractions...a local skull cave and a spot to view birds of paradise within 15 minutes of the resort.

 

[mikescotland]

I have only dived Walindi and on Febrina. They are my favourite dive destinations on the planet. See Depth Magazine | Professional Online Digital Magazine devoted solely to Scuba Diving and all that it entails (March April 15) for my sixteen page dive trip report on Adventure diving in New Guinea for my unbiased trip report. The muck diving is nearly as good as Lembeh, the shark diving is as good as Palau, the reef fish are very rich and incredibly varied, there are big fish, the night dives are superb, the corals are healthy and the reefs are close to untouched and there is no garbage to dive in as in some Asian areas like Bali. The underwater photography potential is right up there. It scores highly on all areas.

 

[Freewillow]

Am I wrong, Raja Ampat in not in PNG? Nice place

 

[scubachild]

Am I wrong, Raja Ampat in not in PNG? Nice place

Raja Ampat is West Papua, part of Indonesia. Geographically speaking it is part of the same land mass so it is an easy mistake to make. It goes without saying that diving Raja Ampat is some of THE BEST diving in the WORLD, in my humble opinion

---------- Post added April 26th, 2015 at 11:36 AM ----------

I have only dived Walindi and on Febrina. They are my favourite dive destinations on the planet. See Depth Magazine | Professional Online Digital Magazine devoted solely to Scuba Diving and all that it entails (March April 15) for my sixteen page dive trip report on Adventure diving in New Guinea for my unbiased trip report. The muck diving is nearly as good as Lembeh, the shark diving is as good as Palau, the reef fish are very rich and incredibly varied, there are big fish, the night dives are superb, the corals are healthy and the reefs are close to untouched and there is no garbage to dive in as in some Asian areas like Bali. The underwater photography potential is right up there. It scores highly on all areas.

Your report in Depth Magazine is very interesting. I had not heard before if the Rabaul festival and would love to see that. But I read elsewhere July is not a good month for diving this area. Is that true?