PNG occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea - the western half today being part of Indonesia.

To the north is the Pacific Ocean, to the south Australia’s Coral Sea and to the east the Bismark Sea & the Solomon Sea (where you find additional fabulous diving in the Solomon Islands).

This entire area is known for its diverse and spectacular marine life.

Most of the best sites lie on the south-eastern peninsula of the mainland island . . . and to the east of the mainland around the islands of New Ireland & New Britain. (see map)

And for the adventurous traveller, PNG offers much more than diving, of course. Its pristine rain-forests hide species of animals still unknown to scientists & the land is equally rich in terms of culture, with hundreds of indigenous, traditional communities, many of which still have little or no contact with the outside world.

Marine biologist and award winning photographer Dave Harasti has spent a lot of time in Papua New Guinea and you may enjoy reading his articles and seeing some of his amazing images at: www.daveharasti.com

Not far from Port Moresby, the capital of PNG, lie some world-class dive sites which are included on some of the liveaboard trips and can be accessed on day-dive trips from lovely Loloata Island Resort.

With some of the world's finest coral reefs just off its shores, Loloata affords an opportunity to encounter much of Papua New Guinea's extraordinary marine life.  Underwater photographers love the array of fish, corals and critters just minutes away from the dock. 

Over 30 dive sites exist including walls, drop offs, reef channels, drifts, coral bommies, 3 wrecks and a WWII Boston Bomber.

While Loloata's critter reputation is undeniable, you mustn't think that critters is all there is!  The waters of Bootless Bay contain substantial wrecks where the tubastrea, soft corals and fans grow in a vast range of colors.  On these wrecks you'll see anthias and glass fish, long-nose hawkfish and pipefish and masses of pelagics.

Diving here is simply as good as it gets.  Read more  >>>

Milne Bay

Situated at the south-eastern tip of the mainland, Milne Bay likes to claim that the term "muck diving" actually originated here!

And while it's true that "muck-diving extraordinaire" exists here, you won't want to limit your diving only to that genre, as there is so much more to explore. 

You can choose liveaboard or land-based diving - and regardless of your choice you'll find those critters, sure, but also incredible corals, walls,  plenty of pelagics - including Mantas - and some fabulous wreck diving!

Tawali Resort can be your home base here for land-based diving . . . and 2  fine liveaboards, Chertan & Spirit of Nuigini, are based at Tawali and will take you further afield.  Also, the Golden Dawn does Milne Bay itineraries at certain times of the year.

The area can be dived year round, with November to February bringing the very best diving conditions and May to September bringing the heaviest rainfall.  Read more >>>

The Tufi region of PNG is a very special place indeed. With long peninsulas stretching out into the sea, Tufi is known as PNG's fjordland.

Home to beautiful reefs, plenty of pelagic action, macro critters galore, a few good wrecks and great visibility . . . Tufi easily lives up to the rest of the diving in PNG!

The relaxed & inviting Tufi Resort makes a perfect base for diving this fjordland.  Immediately offshore you find great muck diving, for starters - with lots of rubble from war-time hosting ghost pipefish & nudibranchs, frogfish amongst tons of other critters.

Further out you find Mulloway Reef and Cyclone Reef, both of which host lovely corals and attract schools of large fish and pelagics - tuna, trevally, barracuds, Eagle & Manta rays, several varieties of sharks, turtles and fairly frequent visiting Hammerheads.

When conditions are right, very experienced divers may have the opportunity to do a decompression dive to explore 2 very complete American PT Cruisers, sunk in 1942.  Read more  >>>

New Britain Island has two world-famous dive areas.

Kimbe Bay is a photographer's dream - with an extreme level of diversity and spectacular corals, while Rabaul is most famous for its WWII wrecks.

Kimbe Bay hosts at least 200 dive sites at latest count & it is often reported that an unbelievable percentage - nearly 70% - of all Indo-Pacific marine species can be found in the waters here.

The area is unquestionably a photographer's paradise, every year hosting photographers who produce prize-winning shots from the surrounding waters.  It's a rare thing to attend an underwater photography competition that doesn't produce a prize winning photo or film shot in Kimbe Bay.

At Kimbe Bay, you will find the warm & welcoming Walindi Plantation Resort, with its remarkable house reef, coral gardens and critters . . . . plus easy access to shallow fringing reefs, plunging walls and pinnacles. 

We cannot possibly say enough good things - about Walindi . . . and about the diving in the immediate area.

Based at Walindi are two fine liveaboards, our personal favorite the FeBrina and the always popular Dancer Fleet's Star Dancer.   Read more  >>>

On the tip of New Ireland, Kavieng offers additional outstanding diving experiences & plenty of big fish encounters.

Kavieng is a small, friendly town on the northern tip of New Ireland - which saw intense fighting between the Japanese & Allied forces near the end of the Second World War .

Around the region are a wide variety of world class dive sites, from calm waters and pristine reefs to current-swept channels.  You'll find plunging walls, exhilarating drop-offs, fringing reefs, muck dives, and some truly fine wreck diving, including some fairly recent discoveries. 

Our preferred operators here are Lissenung Island Resort and Golden Dawn liveaboard, which offers Kavieng itineraries at certain times of the year.  Read more >>>  

Lying to the south of Port Moresby and at the northern boundary of Australia’s Coral Sea is the area known as the Eastern Fields, a fascinating system of oceanic reefs.

These reefs, rising from enormous marine depths, are located beyond the scope of the cyclones which pass through similar systems to the south, meaning that they have weathered the ages in an un-battered condition.

Don’t mistake that fact to mean these are calm seas.  In fact, the submerged reefs here can only be dived for a couple of months during the year, due to sea conditions.  And, as far as we know, the only Captain who knows the territory well enough to navigate it is Craig Dewit of the Golden Dawn.

Should you be lucky enough to be one of the elite group of divers to dive the Eastern Fields, you will find massive drop-offs in clear blue waters, populated with unbelievable corals and nutrient-rich currents that bring marine species of all sizes and persuasions!   Read more  >>>