Who has been to the Hoskins area of New Britain, PNG?

[Travelnsj]

Diving Kimbe Bay is fantastic - worked there for nearly 5 years The Yasawa Islands in Fiji, leeward islands in the Carribean/Great Barrier Reef close to Cairns are absolutely no comparison to the diving to be had out of walindi, Restorf Island fanatastic with one of the biggest gorgoean fans I have ever seen ever ( over 10 feet high and 18 feet wide), Susans Reef one of the most photographed reefs with the red corals sea whips, Inglis Shoals/Joelles and South Emma great seam mounts with both small stuff and bigger pelagic's that come in August can windy with seas a little rough. Snorkelling can be a little limited depending on what reefs you go to..... Certainly a spot with excellent bio-diversity and colour (Kirsty Janes with wonderful colours on top from the hard corals - also great snorkelling)

Also spent 6 years in Port Moresby - Diving out of POM is also fantastic and severely under rated with great sites like end bommie/suzies/baldwins bommie/quales/Pai II/ Pacific Gas etc.............

Peter....you have dove in the finest locations on this earth. We have discussed Misool vs Papua, I emailed Max/Gabrielle and his new boat the Antares will be going into Misool. I have heard the finest diving is the Eastern Fields (Unfortunitly I am not a LOB person other than doing Max's new boat in calm waters). I have talked to people who have dove Tawalli and Walindi and they say that is a mix between Wakatobi and Raja. In your opinion where is the finest diving?

1. Doing a land based dive trip?

2. Doing a LOB?

Thx...Scott

 

[Wayan]

Peter....you have dove in the finest locations on this earth. We have discussed Misool vs Papua, I emailed Max/Gabrielle and his new boat the Antares will be going into Misool. I have heard the finest diving is the Eastern Fields (Unfortunitly I am not a LOB person other than doing Max's new boat in calm waters). I have talked to people who have dove Tawalli and Walindi and they say that is a mix between Wakatobi and Raja. In your opinion where is the finest diving?

1. Doing a land based dive trip?

2. Doing a LOB?

Thx...Scott

Still hard to say as it depends on exactly what you want in regards to accommodations and diving but IMHO
For PNG land based a choice between
Lissenung Island http://www.lissenung.com/up out of Kaveing absolutely fantastic with Planet Channel, Der Yang, Helmuts Passage, Mascotte passage (certainly my choice for diving up here rather than live-a-aboard)
And Walindi Resort

Live-aboard PNG

Fathers / witus combination live-a-aboard During the best season the waters are very smooth as well and unlike Raja not a lot of travel in between dive sites (20-40 minutes for most with only 2 long hauls of around 8-12 hours)

Eastern Fields - Golden Dawn

Indonesia

Land based
Manado muck Lembeh resort or for walls/corals Lumbalumba or Murex

Bali - 10 day trip which would include Nusa Penida/Candi Dasa/Tulumben/Secret Bay/Mimpi etc

Live-a-board
Komodo of course but only by Live-a-board as previously discussed in indonesian threads.

And Raja Empat south (misool)

Also for those that do not mind long overnight stemas then the delivery trips to Raja EMpat that go over the Banda Sea to Gunng Api (1,000 literally of sea snakes) and Banda with one of the best Mandarin Fish Dives I have ever done - they get in your face here) followed by Koon Island and into Raja Empat has to be in my list of greats.

So for me it is very hard to say that one is better than the other as I have enjoyed them all and each very special in their own right