Papua new Guinea 2004

Papua new Guinea 2004

Luke Endacott and Brad Gordon from ADA have just returned from an epedition travelling to some of the most remote parts of PNG. ADA chartered the Mike Ball Live Aboard vessell 'Paradise Sport' to take us from the Kimbe Bay Region of New Brittain right up to Kavieng in New Ireland. Having dived both these areas before I new how good they were but was very interested to know what is in the middle as it has been largley untouched.

We started off out of the world famous Walindi Plantation - the very first dive set up in remote PNG. The diving out of Walindi (Kimbe Bay) offers an amazing variety of life.

Expect to get the unexpected, as I found out 2 years earlier when we ended up swimming with Killer Whales right out the front of the Walindin Plantation Divers Lodge. There was no killer whales this time - just killer diving!!

On every dive in the Kimbe Bay region we encounted the most perfect corals and reefs just teeming with marine life. We even managed to find the elusive Pigmy Seahorse who lives between 30 - 50 m on a particular coral. As you can see by the picture you could spend days looking for the 1cm seahorse as they blend in so well. Even when you have found one if you look away for just a second it will take ages to find it again.

As we made our way north towards Kavieng we encountered a little bit of unseasonal rough weather but not enough to lower the viz of the crystal clear waters. The highlight for most on this trip was diving the Planet Channel at kavieng. You dive on a verticl wall with a current trying to push ou over the top and down a chanel between 2 islands. Using reef hooks you, hook on to the reef and let the world swim by you without struggling to stay in position. When you eventually have enough, unhook yourself and let the current take you on the ride of your life through shallow coral gardens between the 2 islands. When you have had enough simply surface where you will find one of the dive tender vessells has been watching your bubbles and is reday to take you back to the Bilikiki which could be up to 1km away after your fast drift!