Papua New Guinea’s Hot Spots

This includes its undersea world. The country's waters hold some of the most diverse marine life on the globe. Part of the attraction is strange creatures. Part of the attraction is the undersea terrain. And part of it lies in the remote locales from which divers base their exploits.

[All Photos: TIM ROCK.]

Winging into Port Moresby, the view immediately holds great promise. On the irridescent ribbon of the Papuan Barrier Reef sits Loloata Island Resort, a unique Mecca for divers seeking the wild, the colorful and the unusual. Instead of making the 20-minute drive into a city, divers take a 20-minute drive from the airport to Bootless Bay, the base of Loloata. This quiet bay filled with a half-dozen small islands has a superb mix of shipwrecks, sunken planes, deep drop offs and sea mounts spanning the length of a rich coral kingdom.

A few minutes boat ride takes you to Loloata Island Resort. Owner Dik Knight has transformed the resort into a dive destination with great promise. As more and more sites are found, the diversity of the region becomes startlingly apparent. And the relaxed atmosphere of life on a small island combined with other aquatic activities makes this a real find.

Coral growth and marine life is excellent along the Bootless Bay and Sunken Barrier Reef. The only negative is that visibility is sometimes reduced because less clear water from the bays and lagoon washes out over the outer reef. But if the seas are calm, and trouble is taken to dive on an incoming tide, the visibility on the outer reefs can be over 30 meters. Visibility inside the lagoon is typically around 15 meters, but quite variable. However, the rich nutrient exchange from this environment is what makes the area special. It attracts a wide spectrum of marine life.

From October through February, a huge school of baitfish appears, making the water almost black with fish in some places. All kinds of other fish like jacks are attracted to this veritable feast, so there is action day and night around the pier.

Other highlights include the Sunken Barrier, Suzie's Bommie where a tower of coral rises just off the wall from deep water to about 12 meters from the surface and Horseshoe Reef.

Some farsighted divers a couple of decades ago got together and purposely sunk some derelict vessels in places that were accessible to divers and currents alike. The hope was to enhance the reefs in the area by creating more habitats and making new dive sites that would be fun to explore. Several wrecks in the area now dived as a result, particularly from Bootless Inlet Marina.

Near the midpoint of the sheltered side of Horseshoe Reef, the Pai was sunk in an upright position with all its fishing masts intact. This is a fascinating dive having attracted a very healthy population of fish. The wheelhouse is the home of an immense school of copper sweepers that glisten as light of the sun shines through the many windows. A giant puffer has taken up residence atop the ship. This area has also known to be visited by manta rays, young hammerhead sharks and even whale sharks.

You can also dive the Pacific Gas, which was sunk in 1986. Positioned to take advantage of the tidal flow of water in and out of the Padana Nahua passage, the wreck quickly gained beautiful growths of soft corals and masses of fish life.

The atmosphere at the resort is not what you'd call resort-ish. It is casual, friendly and the staff seems eager to help a guest have a good time. The rugged terrain is perfect for a hike across the spine of the island. This is highly recommended at dawn and dusk as the sunrises and sunsets are known well for their color. The island overlooks the mainland, with the layered ridges that are capped in clouds and often highlighted by far off lightning displays. Other "land" activities include volleyball, table tennis, darts, beach walks and bushwalks around the island and sight seeing tours to Port Moresby's fabulous Botanical Gardens or artifact shopping trips to the large collectors in the city.

Water people can fish, swim, kayak and windsurf.

Dressed for a sing-sing, ladies prepare for a dance.

As Loloata is a dive resort, the nightlife is not extensive as diving in the early morning and partying into the dead of night don't mix well. By the end of the day after a good meal followed by a few wines, most people drift off to their rooms. As there are no cities nearby (Port Moresby is out of sight, blocked by a mountain range), star gazers will love Loloata. The Milky Way is fantastic from here.

Walindi Resort

The flight above Kimbe Bay to Hoskins airport is a memorable one. Volcanic peaks jut above lush rain forest. Many are capped in clouds and a few still puff steam and smoke. Closer to sea level, large plantations of oil palms and copra coconut trees line the highway.

Restorf Island with its healthy corals is a favorite lunch, snorkel and dive spot at Kimbe Bay.

Just a 20-minute drive from Kimbe, is the home of one of the world's great diving resorts, Walindi Plantation Resort. Created by Max and Cecilie Benjamin, Walindi has gained a reputation over many years of providing consistently excellent hospitality and diving.

The most striking aspect of this resort is the immaculate grounds and towering trees that each bungalow sits on. Carved out of the jungle, these seaside cabins face the rising sun and the open ocean.

At night, the jungle buzzes with sound. The beach bungalows and plantation house are complimented by a swimming pool, tennis court, restaurant, bar, dive operation, and video and underwater photographic services for visiting divers.

Crimson sea whips and aneomes with clownfish make a coral garden at Susan's Reef near Walindi.

Some nice touches include a daily complimentary laundry service, fresh towels and tea or coffee (as well as cold water) on the boats, help with carrying photo gear to your room, daily image viewing and nightly viewing of videos of the day's dives.

Situated on the north side of New Britain Island between the Willaumez Peninsula and Lolobau Island, Kimbe Bay has unique seamounts capped with coral towers rising from very deep water to the surface through exceptionally clear water. The towers are alive with creatures big and small, and the seascapes, decorated with red sea whips, giant pink sea fans, and huge barrel and elephant ear sponges, are the favorite of many of the world's top underwater photographers.

Whales, orcas and dolphins are commonly encountered in the bay, and exotic smaller reef creatures are abundant.

In this region there are lots of natural things to do. Mountain bike riding through the palms and up into the hills via logging roads is a challenge. The bird life is remarkable in this jungle setting. One popular venue is a trip to the thermal streams and small geysers. A good soaking in these is supposed to do wonders for aches and pains both old and new.

A snorkeler at sunset looks at a fallen plumeria flower at Walindi.

Near Walindi is Mahonia na Dari, a research and conservation center partly funded by The Nature Conservancy and through the generous help of Max Benjamin at Walindi. It works to protect both the marine and terrestrial diversity in the Kimbe Bay and Willaumez Peninsula. During one assessment of this rich bay, a survey found 860 species of fish fauna including three newly described species. Nearly 350 species of stony corals were also counted, excluding soft corals, gorgonians and black coral.

These resorts offer a great look at PNG's amazing underwater world and its wonderful tropical hospitality. To see something new and exciting, a dive trip to one or both will surely make a memorable visit to Papua New Guinea.