THE BOAT The 120 foot Star Dancer offers the typical luxury, service and conveniences of the Dancer Fleet® Accommodating 16 guests in cabins, Star Dancer will take you in style and comfort through the pristine waters of this remote and primitive land. All of the staterooms have en-suite bath facilities, individual air-conditioning controls and most have picture window views. Star Dancer also features plenty of areas to relax and hang out. While not diving, guests can enjoy spending time sunning or napping in a hammock on the large sundeck or reading in comfort in the roomy air-conditioned salon. ACCOMMODATION All cabin classes, Master, Deluxe & Owners Suite are offered at the same low rate. DIVING & ITINERARIES Beginning in February of 2011, with her home port at the Driftwood Resort, Star Dancer offers explorations of the wonders of the Milne Bay area throughout the year. When you arrive, consider yourself an explorer discovering the new world. There are plane wrecks, shipwrecks, pristine coral reefs of interesting shapes and sizes, underwater volcanic vents, caves and various species of fish including manta rays and whales. The diving conditions will range from quiet mill pond dives to drift dives along spectacular walls, but you will find that the majority of diving will be done on sea mounts (or “bommies”). The reefs are a photographer’s paradise. Pristine and colorful corals are home to a variety of fish, crustacean and invertebrate life. Many of the reefs have resident schools of barracuda, tuna and jacks. You’ll see blue ribbon eels, seahorses, flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipe fish, leaf scorpion fish and mantis shrimp. Pelagics will also be part of the scenery. Some of the reefs are current washed; without current the spectacular marine life would not be there, however, the wide range of dive sites means that it is not necessary to dive at a site if currents are unmanageable at the time. Listed below are some of the region's more popular dives: Each cruise of the Star Dancer will be slightly different and unique.  Using his knowledge of the area along with current environmental conditions and weather forecast your Captain will plan a route that will provide you with the best available diving for the duration of your cruise.   Below are some of the best known sites in our area of operations and an illustrative example of one potential route our Captain could create.  At the Samurai Island pier we will typically spend the full day exploring the area due the sheer diversity of the marine life found at this location.  Samurai Pier is located in only 25 feet of water, there are several species of batfish and catfish, and schools of baitfish that part and coalesce around the cathedral like pilings.  Also near here is the 8 knot drift dive "The Washing Machine".  In the same area is the famous “Giants At Home” dive.  This wonderful manta cleaning station is in only 25ft of water.  On a relatively plain sandy bottom rises a magnificent coral bommie, covered in soft corals. A large number of cleaner wrasse make their home on the bommie, which in turn attracts the mantas for cleaning visits so that they can get rid of the parasites that itch and scratch all day long! There can be as many as 15 mantas at one time at the cleaning station, swooping in like stealth bombers, one after the other. And you can get very close - in fact they seem to enjoy the sensation of divers' bubbles on their underside and often swim over the top of you so this can happen.  This is one of the world's great manta dives! Heading east, the passage between Baslilaki and Sideia Island makes for a stunning cruise and is home to the wreck of a P38 Lightning aircraft near Baslilaki Island. As the voyage turns north, there are a number of great dive sites around Nuakata Island including Black and Silver, Trish's Bommie, Bob's Bommie, Tunnel Reef, Jason's Reef, Peer's Reef and Boirama Reef.  Nuakata is known as a jewel of Milne Bay diving because it is a beautiful island surrounded by multiple dive sites.  The area features lots of pristine reefs and abundant fish life.  Here you’re you may see schools of fish in shallow waters interspersed with pelagic sightings such as grey sharks, tuna, and Spanish mackerel.  Boirama Reef, in the passage between Nuakata Island and Boirama Island also attracts large fish. Along the northern edge of Milne Bay sites such as Sullivan's Patches, Banana Bommie and Cobb's Cliff and the wonderful black sand dives at Observation Point can be found.  There is also the wreck of Blackjack, the B17 bomber.    To exemplify the diversity of the area, two dive sites very close to each other offer a huge contrast.  Dinah’s Beach is very much a black sand dive, where Blue Ribbon Eels, Seahorses, flamboyant Cuttlefish, Ghost Pipe Fish, Leaf Scorpion Fish, mantis Shrimp and Mimic Octopus are just some of the exotic marine life that can been seen.  Whereas nearby Deacon’s offers superb coral gardens with a series of coral towers where Hammerhead Sharks and Whale Sharks are sometimes encountered is simply amazing. The fact that these two completely different sites are located so close reinforces the amazing diversity of Milne Bay Province. Your Star Dancer cruise will conclude on your final day with a stop at the Tawali resort.  Here you can explore the area or join a land tour that will explore ancient skull caves or visit a wonderful waterfall.  Dinner will be served at the resort that last night.  Star Dancer will then depart mid evening for the return voyage to the Driftwood Resort in Alotau. WHAT'S INCLUDED? Seven, eight, nine or ten nights on board the Star Dancer:     all meals and beverages (including national brands of alcohol)     airport transfers in Hoskins or Rabaul (depending on itinerary),     5 ½, 6 ½, 7 ½ or 8 ½ days of diving,     up to five dives per day     final night dinner at Walindi Plantation Resort or on board (depending on itinerary),     other standard Dancer Fleet services and amenities EXTRAS Nitrox fills, based on availability are not included in the package. Nitrox costs $150 - $200 depending on length of the cruise - or $10 per fill WHEN TO GO, WHAT TO EXPECT Visibility ranges from 80 to 150 ft., depending on the season, and water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather is tropical, with little seasonal variation. PNG is a destination that offers year round diving. Papua New Guinea’s climate is generally warm with definite wet and dry seasons.  In the Milne Bay Province, the visibility increases substantially during the wet season due to the prevailing currents.  While July and August are the wettest months, visibility remains high from June into October. The rain tends to fall mainly in the evenings and rarely disrupts daily activities.  November through May marks the drier season.  Over this period visibility will drop, however a different variety of macro subjects seems to appear.  Water temperatures range from 84 degrees in the summer months to 77 degrees in the winter months. A light wetsuit is necessary, though some people choose more thermal protection (a 3mm suit) to ensure continued core temperature warmth throughout their visit Back to Papua New Guinea main page Back to New Britain & Walindi Back to FeBrina Contact us for additional details or to book spaces