Papua New Guinea liveaboard diving: Milne or Kimbe?

[Hintermann]

I am planning what is certainly going to turn out to be the most expensive dive trip that I will go - I reckon around £5000 (close to $8000) all inclusive and so I want to ensure that I make the right decision. This is the visit to Papua New Guinea, which I have read has some of the best diving in the world. Either way I will not be venturing out of Jackson's Airport in Port Moresby and will plan to take same day flight connections to my destination. My consideration at this time is which of the two premier ONG diving spots that destination should be. I plan to go in October 2015 - yes I know it is a long time away but PNG liveaboards do get booked-up a long time in advance.

The first option is to fly on to New Britain and go to Walindi Resort for a liveaboard trip of dive sites in Kimbe Bay on board the MV Febrina.

The alternative option is a liveaboard trip to Milne Bay on the MV Chertan.

Can I ask for comparative impressions of these dive sites to help me to make a decision? At present I am leaning towards Kimbe.

 

[Kevster]

I spent 3 days at Walindi then 10 days on the Febrina this May. It was an amazing trip. I posted a trip report on this website.
The Febrina is an excellent boat with an amazing crew. The diving was brilliant.
Never been to Milne bay , but i have read the Chertan boat is a bit old and basic.

I would highly recommend a trip to Kimbe bay. Sharks, friendly turtles, very fishy, amazing reefs & great viss. Not too much macro/small critters compared to other locations i have dived, but overall i would rate my trip as one of the best i have been on.
Oct is a great time to visit Kimbe bay.

 

[Heg]

I Either way I will not be venturing out of Jackson's Airport in Port Moresby and will plan to take same day flight connections to my destination. .

Or so you hope..
Domestic flights in PNG are diabolical. Air Niugini frequently cancels flights. Several of the folk we dived with at Walindi had experienced an unwanted overnight in PM due to cancellations. During our stay, it was common for guests to leave for the airport, only to return a few hours later, as yet another flight was cancelled. Queues are huge as there is such a backlog of travellers and check in is a free for all. We quite literally had to elbow to the front to demand to be let onto our return flights from Hoskins back to PM. Very stressful.

Saying that, the diving (we stayed at Walindi Resort) was awesome, but the travel experience has put me off returning to PNG.

 

[Hintermann]

Thanks for that people. So, it'll be Kimbe then. I'll try to plan the trip to allow of flight delays.

 

[imtoad]

If you do get stuck in Port Moresby, Loloata Island Scuba Resort is worth a look. It is on it's own island so it is relatively safe.

 

[ewaiea]

If you are still thinking about your travel through Port Moresby - it might be worth just booking an overnight at the Airways Hotel. It's expensive - but compared to the overall trip cost it might just be worth it to arrive into Port Moresby, head over to the Airways Hotel, then try to get out on the first morning flight to Hoskins from there. If it's cancelled, there should still be one other flight to Hoskins that day. If you arrive to POM same day and the afternoon flight is cancelled, you'll spend a lot of time waiting to see if Air Niugini will put you up at a hotel and you're not sure where and it'll be more stressful.

I'm about to leave for my 2nd trip to Walindi (2 nights/3 days) and do a 10 night charter on Febrina (Kimbe Bay, Witu Islands and Father's Reef) - I leave in less than 4 days. The trip I took in 2010 had travel complications getting TO Hoskins, no problems returning. But I've heard it multiple ways.......no problems either way, problems one way, problems both ways........but I think if you work on doing morning flights and things don't go as planned, you still have a chance on getting out on the afternoon flight. Be flexible, you've heard of "island time" I'm sure, but this is a new definition of island time altogether! I will post a trip report upon my return.

Long layovers/overnights on the way there will also add interest and enjoyment to the trip if you take it as such. My girlfriend is meeting me in Hoskins next week. She INSISTED in attempting to go virtually non-stop with short connections Portland-Los Angeles-Fiji-Honiara/Solomon Islands (just a stopover -no connection)-Port Moresby-Hoskins. IF she makes it on time, I might actually laugh myself to death. She's nuts. I'm doing overnights in Sydney AND Port Moresby with long layovers in Los Angeles and Cairns just because I don't want to risk luggage not making the connections. I'm taking both her stuff AND mine, she's only got a carry-on.....so we shall see!!!! It's going to be interesting to say the least.

I hope you go through with this trip - I've never repeated a dive destination but I'm repeating this one. It was flat-out life changing.

 

[Hintermann]

I hope you go through with this trip

. As a matter of fact, I am not. I had actually confirmed dates and paid the deposit for a 10-day trip on the MV Febrina in October 2015, but cancelled it earlier this year. That decision had nothing to do with the quality of diving but the negative vibes that I got during communications with the organisers of the cruise. I have since changed the destination to Wakatobi.