Tufi's Treasure Trove

Part of Papua New Guinea's amazing diversity is a series of fiords along the central region of the north coast of the main island. It is here we find a place destined to be a muck diver's paradise, an explorer's dream and a hermit's reward. Tufi is a tiny outpost set up for divers in what is called the PNG fiordlands. Scenic, majestic and unique, these headlands loom over the sea and range far back into the interior of the mainland. Spectacular views and constant changes in cloud formations make a stay here always fascinating.

The Tufi Wharf is famous for its odd creatures. The term "muck diving" was coined in Papua New Guinea and is pretty much what it indicates. Some of the oddest, prettiest and most cryptic creatures in the sea live in the mud flats, turtle grasses and least remarkable areas of the coral reef. At Tufi, the dock area provides divers find a real hit list of the unusual.

Also at the wharf is the Tufi Dive Resort dive shop, a newly constructed facility with a good supply of rental gear, equipment repair, gear stowage and a very spacious patio/deck leading right to the muck diving. Nearby the resort's purpose-built aluminum boat (with a head, I might add) and a couple of small power vessels are moored. This is one of the latest improvements to the Tufi area for divers and tourists.

Tufi Wharf

We stayed at Tufi after taking a live aboard cruise through the islands around New Britain. This allowed us dusk dives in the evenings. These brought harlequin ghost pipefish in black/gold and pastel green, flatworms, brilliant tangerine mandarinfish and sea cucumbers. A mimic octopus, large and small hermit crabs and even the odd pair of rough-snout pipefish were also spotted. These are all considered rare by even PNG standards and we considered ourselves quite fortunate. The nearby grasses held grazing sea turtles as well.

Local guides John Thomas and Gibson are quite proud of their prowess in finding and gently prodding subjects into photo range. The Tufi Resort Dive shop is extremely well run with courteous folks who handle cameras carefully and wash and dry gear for customers. It is worry free diving. And we found the guides did just that, guided but did not lead, allowing us our own profiles and adventures.

Outer Reefs at Tufi

The nice thing about Tufi is the variety. Sitting at the edge of the Star Island group, the resort has a whole ocean of exploration. Big sea mounts and extended reefs here are dived infrequently. Many have never been seen by divers.

The Tufi Resort is finding great spots for guests and even including guests in the exploration process in finding new and exciting reefs and sites. Boat rides of 30-50 minutes from the dock to open sea provide sea mounts rising from a 300-foot sea floor and lots of fish action. Water is gin clear and currents strong enough to attract fish life but not too strong that diving is taxing-a very nice combination.

At present, all sites are moored, an effort of the new management to conserve the sites. Exploration is ongoing. Thus, new sites can be found and named by adventurous guests.

At Minor, named for its Notodorous nudibranch fame, the ship was greeted by a school of spinner dolphins. Divers could hear and occasionally glimpse them in the blue when entering the water at this steep-walled bommie. The reef has a 70-foot saddle and the fish action starts here. Visibility is 100+ feet. Reef sharks top the pelagic chain with barracuda and a large school of batfish also being residents here. Large frilly nudibranches dot the coral rock walls and busy anemones cover the topside.

Cyclone Reef is a pleasant lunch break with superb snorkeling on the lee. Small coral rubble is the only exposed above water area of this reef, which is a portion of seamount. Table corals and nice staghorns highlight this site. It is an amazing place to take a break far out to sea. Also, there are lots of sea birds on the exposed corals.

At another site dubbed Malloray's (the guest site names really do happen) there is a superb dive with a pocked wall leading to a current-swept deep point. Excited gray reefs, big tuna and a huge ball of bigeye red snapper flourish here in the upwellings. Hammerheads are frequently seen down deep in pairs and groups.

This is a good place to dip to 130 feet or so and watch for the pelagic action and then move up the water column. Upper reef can be hooked for some observation time, and then the dive ends with a gentle drift back to the boat. A clown triggerfish may have been laying eggs, as it was extremely approachable.

Fiordlands

The Tufi area is known for its unusual tropical fiordlands. There are eight to nine fiords in the coastal area.

The Tufi Resort is situated at the mouth of one of them, high on a hill. Newly constructed of bamboo and natural woods and decorated with artifacts from all over PNG, it doesn't have a room with a bad view and the ocean breeze keeps things cool. It ranks as one of the nicest dive resorts in PNG at present. It has a large bar area; buffet dining that regularly includes delicacies such as broiled lobster and an entertainment area with games, videos and lots of ocean related and PNG books to while away the non-diving time.

The fiordlands are magical. Cockatoos, hornbills, and sea eagles soar high along the cliff faces or muster from the tall inner mangroves. Some areas are full of jungle sounds and a great variety of birdlife. There are a number of species of Bird of Paradise here.

Tall fiordland cliffs, volcanic in their origin, give way to mangrove lowlands and rivers. This is where it is great to start a canoeing and kayaking trip. It is rewarding as the sounds of the jungle and calm waters make for serene paddling.

Snorkeling and diving in the fiords is, indeed, a new experience as mangroves grow right up to the coral reef of the 200-foot deep passage. Feeding mackerel, manta rays, sea turtles in the turtle grasses and lots of fusiliers predominate.

But the tiny macro scene is quite impressive with various nudibranches all over the upper reef. There are colorful and oddly shaped sponges in bright reds, royal blues and spiky yellows that give form and color to the upper reef. Nudi eggs and even tiny anemones with bobtail shrimp and spinecheek clownfish can be found just using snorkel.

This area makes a great macro or night dive for scuba buffs. Try snorkeling with one's ears out of the water and you can hear the birds and mangrove sounds and watch the ocean life at the same time. It's a special sensation.

It was here at this treasure trove that we ended our trip of exploration. While so many exciting and unusual discoveries were made on this trip, it only made us see the incredible realm of exploration and possibilities that are still held in PNG waters. At Tufi, a new world on the coral reef is available for those willing to explore this strange and exotic new world.