Diving in Papua New Guinea

The heart of the Coral Triangle: the sea mounts of Kimbe Bay, the muck diving of Milne Bay and wartime wrecks

2 yachts for liveaboard diving, 4 resorts

Papua New Guinea — the heart of the Coral Triangle: the sea mounts of Kimbe Bay, the muck diving of Milne Bay, Fathers Reefs and the Witu Islands, wartime wrecks. Dive resorts and liveaboards.

Why divers come here

Kimbe Bay — sea mounts rising out of deep water and corals scientists describe as “the way things were forty years ago”
Milne Bay — the birthplace of muck diving: black sand, frogfish, ghost pipefish and a manta cleaning station
Fathers Reefs — remote volcanic reefs with arches, swim-throughs and silvertip sharks
The Witu Islands — sea mounts and black sand bays on the same itinerary
Wartime wrecks: the B-17 Black Jack on the sand in Milne Bay and the Japanese aircraft of Kavieng
Rabaul — jetty diving for macro under the eye of the active Tavurvur volcano

What you'll meet underwater

Hammerheads and silvertips on the offshore reefs Grey, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks Reef mantas and eagle rays Dolphins escort the boats; orcas and pilot whales pass occasionally Whale sharks Frogfish, ghost pipefish, mandarin fish, coconut octopus Schools of barracuda, trevally and tuna Hard and soft corals of the Coral Triangle — record species diversity

Practical information

Best season: All year. The best weather in the Bismarck Sea runs from mid-September to November and from April to June; Milne Bay is scheduled in February and March. From September to November the water is slightly cooler and the reefs hold more of the small stuff
Water temperature: 27–30 °C
Visibility: 15–40 m
Wetsuit: 3 mm year-round, a shorty is enough; 5 mm for four dives a day
Experience level: Open Water for the reefs and muck diving; Advanced and drift experience for the sea mounts, the Kavieng channels and the deeper wrecks
Getting there: There are no direct flights from Russia. Fly to Port Moresby (POM) via Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, Sydney or Brisbane; from Moscow the journey takes 24–32 hours. From there Air Niugini or PNG Air run domestic flights: Hoskins (HKN) for Kimbe Bay and Walindi, Alotau (GUR) for Milne Bay, Rabaul (RAB) and Kavieng (KVG) for the eastern routes. Check the embarkation port against your own itinerary — it differs from trip to trip.
Airports: Port Moresby (POM) — international, Hoskins, listed as Kimbe (HKN), Tokua, Rabaul (RAB), Gurney, Alotau (GUR), Kavieng (KVG)
Visa: A visa is required. A tourist visa is applied for online before departure or at a consulate; the rules for Russian citizens change, so check the current requirements before booking flights. Transit is almost always through Australia or Singapore — an Australian transit visa is a separate matter.
Climate: Equatorial, air 24–31 °C year-round, humid always, heaviest rain December to March
Currency: Kina (PGK); resorts and boats take US dollars and cards
Language: Tok Pisin, English, Hiri Motu; more than eight hundred living languages
Time zone: UTC+10