Diving in Papua New Guinea
The waters of Papua New Guinea have corals and fish in both abundance and variety. The shores of Papua, New Britain and surrounding smaller islands together support the fourth largest coral reef ecosystem in the world, including more than 40 species and some of the world's highest densities of coral cover. The range of marine life is equally rich, with more than twice the biodiversity of the Red Sea, and more than five times that of the Caribbean. Most any coastal area in the country is ripe for underwater exploration, but diving activities center around a number of self-sufficient liveaboards and comfortable waterfront resorts on New Britain and the main island of Papua. Near the big island's eastern tip, Milne Bay is credited as the original muck diving site, where dark volcanic sands provide habitat for a range of enigmatic and unusual creatures. But there's much more to Milne than muck, including the large coral heads known as bommies that rise to within a few feet of the surface. These formations provide habitat for small reef dwellers such as seahorses, octopi, dwarf lionfish, and frogfish, and become gathering points for schools of trevally and sharks. Offshore sites are washed in currents that also attract hammerheads, manta rays and even the occasional whale shark or minke whale. Some 120 miles to the northwest, the coastline at Tufi takes on a very different character, with deep fjords surrounded by rainforest-clad hills. Calm, clear waters within the fjords allow sponges and certain varieties of coral to grow to immense sizes, and support rich communities of macro life that include numerous species of goby and nudibranchs, mandarinfish, ghost pipefish, pygmy seahorses, and more. Outside the fjords, pinnacles rise from depths of a half-mile while signature wrecks in the area include the Dutch cargo ship S Jacob and an intact B17 bomber.
On the north coast of New Britain Island , Kimbe Bay is the epitome of a coral garden. More than 400 species of hard corals thrive in the calm waters of the bay—representing more than half of all hard corals found worldwide. Soft corals, reef fish and invertebrates are found in equal abundance. Reef formations near the mouth of the bay drop into oceanic depths, and add a range of larger fish. Kimbe is also the departure point for trips to offshore pinnacles that serve as magnets for pelagics, and cruises to Father's Reef and the submerged volcanic landscapes of the Witu Islands.