Australia & The South Pacific

MILNE BAY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

New Guinea's little-known gem

Situated at the far southeastern tip of mainland Papua New Guinea is the small town of Alotau, the start point for diving trips in the magnificent Milne Bay area. Milne Bay Province is the largest of Papua New Guinea’s coastal areas and is the one least disturbed by man. The population is low with some islands uninhabited and consequently commercial exploitation, pollution and population problems, which can ruin dive areas, are unknown here. Sandwiched between the Coral Sea and the Solomon Sea, Milne Bay has a huge variety of diving: spectacular wrecks (including some of the world’s finest aircraft wrecks), classic walls of coral, patch reefs, deeper oceanic reefs, muck (or ‘critter’ diving), pass dives with surging waters filled with hungry feeding fish and calm bays hiding tiny creatures. Tidal movements of these two great seas flush clear, deep, ocean water into the plankton rich lagoons, resulting in optimal conditions for marine growth. Deep oceanic water comes close to the land so the many mangroves, which act as nurseries for numerous marine creatures, and rivers do not affect the quality of the diving. Expect 25 metres visibility, or more, on most dives. From seahorses and shrimpfish to wobbegongs and dugongs, from fish-filled drift diving to wreck exploration, Milne Bay diving is hard to beat. With the high airfare from Europe, this is one of those trips that you should put on your ‘Trip of a Lifetime’ list.

Start saving for a trip on the liveaboard, FeBrina, now!