png vs solomoms vs truk

[panz]

Hi everyone!

My fiance and I have decided to spend our honeymoon diving in the south pacific.

We dove in Palau aboard the aggressor for a week and had an amazing time.

We would like to dive from a live aboard again, but are torn between png, the solomons and truk. We prefer the large pelagics and possibly some wreck diving.

A friend of ours raved about png as the best diving, but wanted to get others opinions who have experience with these locations.

We were planning to go this summer in late may or June.

In PNG we heard that Kimbe and Fathers might be a better location for the pelagics and that last year people had been disappointed with the Kaveing itinerary and lack of pelagics.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again.

Meegan

 

[Sasquatch]

Welcome to SB!

Be sure to check out the specific geographic forums in the directory where you'll find information and recommendations for all dive locations.

Sea ya!

 

[El Orans]

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[SubMariner]

Moved from Introductions & Greets forum.

 

[silent running]

Hi everyone!

My fiance and I have decided to spend our honeymoon diving in the south pacific.

We dove in Palau aboard the aggressor for a week and had an amazing time.

We would like to dive from a live aboard again, but are torn between png, the solomons and truk. We prefer the large pelagics and possibly some wreck diving.

A friend of ours raved about png as the best diving, but wanted to get others opinions who have experience with these locations.

We were planning to go this summer in late may or June.

In PNG we heard that Kimbe and Fathers might be a better location for the pelagics and that last year people had been disappointed with the Kaveing itinerary and lack of pelagics.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again.

Meegan

Hello panz, my vote would go to PNG, but I think that you could also find pelagics and wrecks in the Solomons. After talking with several people who've been to both recently, it seems that PNG still has the edge all the way up the food chain, both in terms of diversity and quantities of the bigger stuff. I don't think you'll find much pelagic activity in Truk, unless you can get a Capt. to spend a good amount of time outside the lagoon.
There are plenty of wrecks all over PNG, with the most being in Hansa Bay, north of Madang. There was a huge battle fought there, similar to Truk-air attack of a Japanese supply fleet at anchor. But unlike Truk, all the wrecks are within recreational limits. Not sure if any of the liveaboards are going there this year, but it may reachable by land from Madang.
I've been all over PNG, and never had trouble finding pelagic activity. It's a question of looking in the right places. If you go with PNG, make sure you pick a boat with a Capt. that has long time local knowledge. Good luck, -Andy

 

[DandyDon]

Looks like your Intro got moved to a better forum for answers...

:cowboy2: don

​

 

[Allison Finch]

Just three letters......PNG!!!!

I go there for a month every year and would recommend a liveaboard. While Kavieng, and Kimbe bay are really good....and the Fathers and the Witu Islands are great......I think that the Duke of York Islands, Gazelle Peninsula and the Rabaul area are the best. The captain I dive the most with (Alan Raabe) has been doing some good exploratory diving (and mooring setting) on the south shore of New Britain Island that he thinks may be the best yet. I tried to go with him this month (after spending the month of June/July there) but just didn't have the $$ or time.
That would be my advise.....

 

[mjh]

Might not be exactly what you are looking for, but here is our trip report for PNG. We loved it and plan on going back.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=123719

 

[donnyb]

Sorry this is so late, just saw the thread. I have been to all 3 places, Truk in 2000, Solomons in 2000, 2003, and PNG in 2004.
It really depends on what you want. Since you listed large pelagics and wreck diving I will give you my slant on those...

First off there is simply no comparison to Truk for wreck diving. Yes, there are a couple of the wrecks that are deeper than 135ft, but only a couple. Usually the dive operators build up to those later in the week. If you are uncomfortable with the really deep dives, you might sit out a dive or two at the most, and, since it will likely be later in the trip, its a good excuse to offgas for the upcoming dives you will want to do. Big pelagics are not numerous in Truk. Its a lagoon after all. Maybe some big tunas or an eagle ray... There is usually some dives mixed in on a reef out at the hardline (outer edge of the lagoon) and possibly a shark feed. Ask questions about this. The wrecks themselves are literally reefs as well. Lots of life on them. In Truk, I recommend the Odyssey for 3 reasons: they offer nitrox and encourage using it. Your dive station will have two tanks, one for air and one with nitrox. Depending on your planned depth you can go with the proper tank. Lenny runs a boat for grownups. You need to do your own plans and be resonsible for monitoring yourself.
Next, he give excellent briefings about the wercks before you dive them. Third, they moor right on the wrecks, so you dont have to use chase boats! The other boats as far as I know still use chase boats.

The Solomons does not have much wreck diving. All the wreck diving is basically centered around Guadacanal, and the locals have banned it. Re check this info, since its been a few years since I was last there, but as far as I know its still off limits. The diving in the Solomons from the Bilikiki group is the most relaxing liveaboard diving I have ever done. Great diving, lots to see, and a wide mix, drift diving, muck dives, wall dives, even a cave dive. At Marys Island you will get lots of the pelagic stuff, they usually stay there about 2 days of a trip. Large schools of barracuda, jacks, sharks etc. It also includes the best village visits & culture experience of the three locations. Bilikiki is usually a very smoothly run trip and would make for a great honeymoon. Cabins are spacious etc. Also has Nitrox. Sister ship Spirit of Solomons does not.

Was on a 14 day long range trip out of Madang on the Golden Dawn. Trip was described as the "galapagos of PNG". I would not go that far, but we did see a lot of pelagics overall, the only time we had sharks come close was when we baited them in. It is the wildest diving of the 3 choices, meaning more current, and rougher water as I remember. Wrecks, not so much, did do a few along the north coast but it did not even come close to Truk for wrecks. We had some amazing wall dives, and even a few good muck dives mixed in. Unless you add on a Highlands excursion you will not get much local culture. Hope that helps...