PNG - areas compared

[silent running]

Hi Ike, as far as I was concerned, the Eastern Fields itinerary did live up to the hype. The viz was great and there was an amazing amount of shark activity, including a huge school of Silvertips some 30 strong. If you want to make sure you get maximum pelagic activity, try to get on one of the longer trips which include Portlock reefs. I saw much more big stuff in Eastern Fields than I did in Komodo, but I have not been to Palau so I can't say for sure. I'd guess they are similar, but I think there might be a greater variety of sharks in Eastern Fields, based on my experience and what I've read about Palau-Andy

 

[Allison Finch]

Oh, and I've never bothered with Malaria meds, as per all the PNG residents advice. It's not worth the expense and the potential bad DCS like side effects. Just put on some insect repellent if you wind up close to shore at night. That's all I did and had no problems during any of the many weeks I spent there-Andy

What ex-pats did YOU talk to?? I grew up in Sarasota Fl. with Eugenie Clark (yeah, the shark lady) who almost perished from malaria she caught in PNG. The captain of the liveaboard I usually dive with, who has been in PNG for too many years to count has constant bouts with malaria. I have talked with numerous nationals who have constant bouts of malaria. Many ex-pats don't take anti-malarials because you CAN'T take most of them indefinitely. They probably would if they could. Many take a Chinese herbal extract that they hope will help. Not to take them is foolish IMHO. I have taken many different ones in the past. Larium is definitely out. Doxy works well but can make you sensitive to the sun, Malarone is really nice. I used it for the first time this trip and had no ill effects.
Please, don't suggest to people not to take anti-malarials. If you choose not to, it is your decision. Malaria is still a BIG killer in PNG among the people who live there and are, possibly, more resistant than any of us.

 

[alijtaylor]

Allison
So how was the latest trip? Remind us of the itinerary and it would be nice to hear a few highlights.
Alison

 

[cdiver2]

What ex-pats did YOU talk to?? I grew up in Sarasota Fl. with Eugenie Clark (yeah, the shark lady) who almost perished from malaria she caught in PNG. The captain of the liveaboard I usually dive with, who has been in PNG for too many years to count has constant bouts with malaria. I have talked with numerous nationals who have constant bouts of malaria. Many ex-pats don't take anti-malarials because you CAN'T take most of them indefinitely. They probably would if they could. Many take a Chinese herbal extract that they hope will help. Not to take them is foolish IMHO. I have taken many different ones in the past. Larium is definitely out. Doxy works well but can make you sensitive to the sun, Malarone is really nice. I used it for the first time this trip and had no ill effects.
Please, don't suggest to people not to take anti-malarials. If you choose not to, it is your decision. Malaria is still a BIG killer in PNG among the people who live there and are, possibly, more resistant than any of us.

Advising people not to take meds is stupid

 

[peterjmaerz]

Allison
So how was the latest trip? Remind us of the itinerary and it would be nice to hear a few highlights.
Alison

Yes, Allison,

You (and Caymaniac when he returns) must live up to your responsibilities and provide us with your ruminations on your trip(s). How is my favorite raconteur, the good Capt. Raabe? Has his foot fully healed? How are the corals faring on Susan's Bommie? Did you get to hang with the redoubtable Mr. Doyle? Any other tidbits from the land of smoking cones?

I can't wait to get back to the Pacific, a bit east and south of your journey, later this fall.

Best Regards,

 

[silent running]

What ex-pats did YOU talk to?? I grew up in Sarasota Fl. with Eugenie Clark (yeah, the shark lady) who almost perished from malaria she caught in PNG. The captain of the liveaboard I usually dive with, who has been in PNG for too many years to count has constant bouts with malaria. I have talked with numerous nationals who have constant bouts of malaria. Many ex-pats don't take anti-malarials because you CAN'T take most of them indefinitely. They probably would if they could. Many take a Chinese herbal extract that they hope will help. Not to take them is foolish IMHO. I have taken many different ones in the past. Larium is definitely out. Doxy works well but can make you sensitive to the sun, Malarone is really nice. I used it for the first time this trip and had no ill effects.
Please, don't suggest to people not to take anti-malarials. If you choose not to, it is your decision. Malaria is still a BIG killer in PNG among the people who live there and are, possibly, more resistant than any of us.

Hello Allison, my advice about malaria meds was specifically directed to the person who started this thread, who asked about liveaboard diving in PNG. Somone else then stated that malaria meds were a necessity for any trip to PNG. Which was in my experience, not true. As for who did I talk with, Capt. de Wit of Golden Dawn, most of his family and his business partner as well as Bob Halstead, Capt. of Telita told me that the risk of malaria was minimal for a liveaboard trip as long as few precausions were taken, like using insect repellent at night while close to shore and not sleeping with one's screenless windows open. I also spoke with a friend of mine whose parents were Chrstian missionaries and who spent more than a decade there without catching it by taking a few daily precautionary actions. I got the same advice from a mining engineer I spoke to in the airport who was on his way to Missima. If you had actually read all of what I've written, you would have noticed that I said that if one were spending a lot of time on shore, this would not apply. It's nice to know that malarone worked well for you. Nowhere did I say that people shouldn't take this extra precausion if they wished. Please don't put words in my mouth. My advice was qualified to reflect the concerns of a liveaboard, diving visitor. Lumping this group together in terms of risks with PNG natives, who often don't even have mosquito nets in their sleeping quarters, gives a false impression and brings me back to my original concern about the alarmist nature of this subject.-Andy

 

[cdiver2]

Hello Allison, my advice about malaria meds was specifically directed to the person who started this thread, who asked about liveaboard diving in PNG. Somone else then stated that malaria meds were a necessity for any trip to PNG. Which was in my experience, not true. As for who did I talk with, Capt. de Wit of Golden Dawn, most of his family and his business partner as well as Bob Halstead, Capt. of Telita told me that the risk of malaria was minimal for a liveaboard trip as long as few precausions were taken, like using insect repellent at night while close to shore and not sleeping with one's screenless windows open. I also spoke with a friend of mine whose parents were Chrstian missionaries and who spent more than a decade there without catching it by taking a few daily precautionary actions. I got the same advice from a mining engineer I spoke to in the airport who was on his way to Missima. If you had actually read all of what I've written, you would have noticed that I said that if one were spending a lot of time on shore, this would not apply. It's nice to know that malarone worked well for you. Nowhere did I say that people shouldn't take this extra precausion if they wished. Please don't put words in my mouth. My advice was qualified to reflect the concerns of a liveaboard, diving visitor. Lumping this group together in terms of risks with PNG natives, who often don't even have mosquito nets in their sleeping quarters, gives a false impression and brings me back to my original concern about the alarmist nature of this subject.-Andy

Are you going to get to and from the boat? all it takes is one bite. My Insurance covered the med cost and there was no side effects so why take a chance.
I also spoke to a couple of Australians working there...they got malaria.

 

[silent running]

Are you going to get to and from the boat? all it takes is one bite. My Insurance covered the med cost and there was no side effects so why take a chance.
I also spoke to a couple of Australians working there...they got malaria.

Hello cdiver2, in answer to your question, there is very little risk of contracting malaria during the daylight hrs. as the anopheles mosquito is not active in daylight, so I don't worry about it when getting on and off the boat during this time, nor have I ever found a need to go ashore at night, when the anopheles mosquito is active. If I did I would certainly put on some insect repellent and if I expected to do this a lot I would consider taking a malaria prophalaxis. If you are not familiar with the behavior of the anopheles mosquito, don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself. I have never doubted that people who travel to PNG can and do contract malaria, only that in some specific situations, it's not a great threat. I would be interested to know the circumstances in which the Australian couple came down with it. To hear some people talk about the subject, one would think that it's impossible to avoid getting bit by malarial mosquitos from the moment you get off the plane. Which is obviously not true. Something that does seem to be true is that most divers who visit PNG do not contract malaria and I'll bet that plenty of them opted out of taking meds. Very few of the many people I travelled with took them. I'm glad to hear you had no side effects, but this is not true for everybody. Nor, as I said earlier in this thread, will one malaria med protect you against all the new strains of the disease, which tend to keep comming at us as per mother natures plan. The best way to make sure you don't get malaria is to avoid putting yourself in situations where you can get bit by the anopheles mosquito in the first place and wear insect repellent during those hrs when the risk is greatest. If this is not possible, then it makes sense to use a medication. It's as simple as that. Remember, this is advice I've gotten from people in the PNG dive business who have lived there for most of their lives. If it differs from people you know who live there, fine. Let's just acknowledge that there's a difference of opinion.-Andy

 

[peterjmaerz]

Shall we defer to the experts and end the nyah nyah?

http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/oceania/papua_new_guinea.html

http://www.wpro.who.int/sites/mvp/data/mal_06.htm



Thanks,

 

[Allison Finch]

Both Captain Alan Raabe and the cook on board the FeBrina were battling an onset of malaria while I was there. Luckily, they were mild bouts that they were treated aggressively.
I was born in Florida and am quite familiar with the anopheles. to say they are ONLY active at night is very misleading. They are active before dark and after dawn. They will also come out on a very cloudy day. How do I know? I grew up with them.
I have also heard that there are no mosquitos in the highlands therefore no malaria. Hmmm, were those 747's I heard buzzing over my head in Mt Hagan? I think not. I also talked with a man who was shivering from a high fever there. He said that it was malaria.
Again, many people living long term in PNG don't take meds because there are none that can be taken for such long periods of time. Some just trust their luck. I'm glad you have been lucky. Me, I go to PNG for a month every year and ALWAYS take meds. My luck tends to run towards Murphey's law sometimes.