PNG generally and Kavieng particularly

[Valwood1]

I'm trying to sort out a trip that would include PNG, possibly in early Sept, 2006, and have found that area to be like a lot of worthwhile places in that there are more things to see and do than one could possibly do in a short -- or even long -- trip.

I'm probably a bit more interested in pelagics, and am not sure that I want 7-10 days on a boat.

So, I'm considering perhaps a week in Kavieng, or perhaps Lissenung Island, and using the shore-based ops there. There have been a couple of nice comments about Scuba Ventures in Kavieng and the Lissenung op (can't recall the name right now). Anyone care to offer any other opinions on either op? Are there any other ops in the area worth considering?

Is the area served out of Kavieng/Lissenung on day trips going to be pretty representative of that part of PNG, or do I have to liveaboard to New Hanover to get the "best stuff" (whatever that is)?

Anyone stayed at Treehouse and used its dive op? Would that op go about the same places as Scuba Ventures and the Lissenung Island group? Has anyone done the "adventure" expedition from Treehouse, which circles New Hanover (it sounded a bit too primitive for me, but, before I get much older....)?

Is a stay near Madang likely to produce good diving, too? That would be a secondary, additional stop to Kavieng.

Any thoughts -- and help -- will be appreciated.

Bill

 

[caymaniac]

This past July I was on the Star Dancer out of Walindi. The amount of pelagics is supposed to be greater out of Kavieng. After we finished our trip, friends of ours continued and flew to Kavieng to dive. They saw more pelagics on our trip than the Kavieng trip, not to dissapoint you, but this is what happened. We did not have a terrific amount of pelagics. Sharks maybe every day, some schools of Jacks and Barracuda, every so often a big dog-tooth-Tuna.

 

[acj]

I was on the Star Dancer in November out of Walindi with the Kavieng portion. I personally preferred the area near Walindi where we dove the first 4 days or so. The corals were spectacular, with large schools of barracuda and jacks. I was not quite as impressed with the Kavieng area. There were not many pelagics and the reefs were not nearly as impressive. The boat captain told us that a fishing company in the area has really had an impact on the pelagics.

I personally am a huge fan of live aboards.....I can do 5 dives a day! But I am also a hard core diver and thats all I want to be doing on a dive trip. And you can get to a lot of really great dive spots you would not get to dive otherwise. Of course this is personal preference and what type of dive vacation you want.

 

[peterjmaerz]

Until recently, (the legendary) Captain Raabe himself noted on the Febrina website that Kavieng's reputation as the Pelagic Capital of Papua New Guinea was nonsense. I suppose the Hughes folks persuaded him to drop that passage, even though he did say that there is good diving to be had in the area.

I did the Star Dancer with Capt. Raabe from Kavieng to Kimbe, 10 days. While we missed some of the usual stops in Kavieng due to weather, and I may not have experienced the best the area has to offer, the diving got progressively better as we headed west and south. The Witus, Fathers and Kimbe Bay offer some of the most spectacular diving I've experienced. Yes there were sharks, huge schools of jacks and barracuda along with some tuna, but the main attractions were the spectacular corals and ubiquitous and exotic macro subjects.

Best,

 

[Valwood1]

Thanks everyone for the advice, even though it is bursting my bubble. Well... the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley.

Time to move on to plan two, whatever that is.

Thanks again.

 

[baitballer]

I would not write off Kavieng! Lissenung island is a great place to stay if you want to do alot of diving since the operation is right there on island and they know the dive sites and when to dive them better than anyone. I have stayed there three times and I know the whole area well. The diving is fantastic but to fully appritiate it you must be good at diving in stong currents since that is what brings in the pelagics. I have amazing memories of diving in Albatross channel with the sun blocked out by a school of thousands of Jacks next to a school of barracudas with multiply species of sharks (Grey reef, silvertip, blacktip, white tip etc) all around with a few mobular rays thrown in as well. Some of the other dives in the area such as in Steffen strait are also world class but again to see pelagics these are dived in a stong current.

The Kavieng area does also have some great wall diving, reef diving and macro diving not to mention lots of WWII wrecks. If you stay at Lissenung you also get free shore diving on their house reef which is fantastic with creatures such as Demon stingers, Cuckatoo waspfish, seahorses, etc etc all in under three meters of water.

As I say do not write off Kavieng the diving is in my opinion much better than the areas around Tufi, Moresby and Rabual although you will have a great time anywhere in PNG. It is just a fantastic place.

 

[silent running]

Thanks everyone for the advice, even though it is bursting my bubble. Well... the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley.

Time to move on to plan two, whatever that is.

Thanks again.

Hello Valwood1, I think all of PNG is potentially good for pelagics, having been to most of it. You see, most of PNG is near very deep water. The "continental" shelf is quite short there so deep water is never far away, which means upwellings of colder water and plenty of nutrients to beef up the food chain. This and the low population density make for the best diving on earth. I would recomend the operators who have the most local knowledge and been there the longest and tell them exactly what you want. They should be able to oblige you, season permitting. Madang definitely has some great diving doable by dayboat, which could fit the bill. But a liveaboard which plys the edges of the country-up North/Kavieng or South/outer Milne Bay or the Coral Sea, like the Portlock Reef system, will be the best bet for pelagics. Good luck, -Andy

 

[Sue H]

Just got back from 9 days of diving in Kavieng, where the diving was impressive. I can highly recommend Scuba Ventures to dive with, and a base to dive from being Nusa Island. Scuba Ventures picks you up from this very convenient location. Nusa Island itself is an eco-friendly resort with traditional island style bungalows,mosquito nets, compostable toilets and refreshing cold water showers. it is a resort where you are always barefoot, as the restaurant/bar is under a traditional hut with a cool sand floor.The buffet dinners are usually lobster and chilli crab. The island is shared with some locals, who give you a real feel for their lifestyle.. The diving is great with plenty of WWII wrecks to dive. For those who are in the know, "Pete "and "Jake"and "B25 Mitchell " and "Catalina" planes. Lots of Drift diving, walls, and yes we saw Mantas, Green Turtles,and silver sharks just to name a few. The crew from Scuba Ventures even come and put on a slide show over dinner at Nusa.I can say that I highly recommend both the Nusa resort and Scuba Ventures to dive with. It was hard to leave!

 

[caymaniac]