Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, often referred to as PNG, is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea. It also encompasses offshore islands in the Melanesia region southwest of the Pacific Ocean. Papua New Guinea is the third largest island country in the world. Located in Oceania, it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Solomon Sea, Bismarck Sea, Coral Sea and Indonesia.
Papua New Guinea became a sovereign state in 1975 after 60 years under Australian rule. Its capital, located on the eastern half, is Port Moresby. The western half of Papua New Guinea comprises the Indonesia provinces of Papua and West Papua.
With a past of cannibalism and headhunters, Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s least explored countries. However, Papua New Guinea is popular among nature lovers who come to enjoy in its beautiful tropical rainforests, highlands and lowlands, and land and sea biodiversity.
The island country is also located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which makes scuba diving Papua New Guinea a popular attraction. It is also known for its pristine coral reefs and several active volcanoes.
Scuba Diving in Papua New Guinea
Islands of Diving Opportunities
The New Guinea Islands Region is among the best for scuba diving vacations. It is one of four regions in PNG and is located northeast of the New Guinea mainland. Comprised of the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands archipelago, the New Guinea Islands Region features five provinces, each with their own unique diving areas. A Papua New Guinea liveaboard is the best way to access each province.
Bougainville or North Solomons
Including this small group of islands is a must when diving Papua New Guinea. Pok Pok Island, Kieta and Sand Island have some incredible reef and macro life. Expect sightings of blacktip reef sharks, string rays, morays, tawny nurse sharks, garden eels and dolphins.
East New Britain and West New Britain
The best coral diving can be found around New Britain, the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago. New Britain holds 70% of all coral species in the Indo-Pacific region. Along the northern coast of New Britain Island, coral gardens, deep seamounts and black volcanic sand highlight the secluded dive spots in Kimbe Bay, Father’s Reef and Witu Islands. They are the best sites for viewing a wide variety of hard and soft coral species, elephant and giant barrel sponges, incredible sea fans and huge schools of reef fish. With over 200 reefs, Kimbe Bay holds some world-renowned dive sites, including Inglis Shoals, Vanessa’s Reef, Bradford Shoals and Susan’s Reef. Kimbe Bay is home to 70% of all Indo-Pacific marine species. It is often visited by dolphins, scalloped hammerhead sharks, whitetip reef sharks, grey reef sharks and barracudas.
Liveaboards in Papua New Guinea typically visit Kimbe Bay, not only for its sheer beauty, but for its vibrant corals that attract thousands of fish species. Kimbe Bay alone has 60 percent of the coral species in all of the Indo-Pacific region. It also has over 860 coral reef fish species.
Father’s Reef is a chain of reefs in the open ocean. This is where dolphins, hammerhead sharks and silvertip sharks are usually spotted. Other common sightings include small invertebrates, tropical fish, grey reef sharks, barracudas and silvertip sharks.
The Witu Islands are a group of volcano-formed islands that have some great diving spots. One outstanding one is the lagoon around the south side opening of the volcanic caldera.
New Ireland
New Ireland is known for its wreck diving, particularly Rabaul and Kavieng. Dive sites feature planes, submarines, barges and boats that attract a wide variety of both macro and marine life. WWII wrecks also can be explored on New Ireland. Some sites have reef walls that drop down vertically some 1,000 feet. Large pelagics often hang around the area.
Manus Island
Much of Papua New Guinea diving features volcanic islands, including Manus Island, also known as Great Admiralty Island. Mount Dremsel gives diving spots their steep slopes, drop-offs and bays bordered with mangrove swamps. Muck diving is popular here and there’s some good wreck diving for WWII shipwrecks.
Special Liveaboard Dive Spots
Scuba diving Papua New Guinea holds incredible underwater wonders. PNG is home to six of the world’s seven marine turtle species, over 2,000 species of reef fish and nearly 18,000 square miles of unspoiled reefs. One of the advantages of liveaboard diving in Papua New Guinea is access to remote dive locations.
Milne Bay
On the southern coast, Milne Bay offers great reefs, walls and coral gardens. Muck diving for unusual critters and delightful seahorses is very popular. In fact, locals claim the term “muck diving” originated here. Besides muck diving, wreck diving for WWII relics is part of the dive travel experience. The plankton rich waters also attract a wide variety of marine life, including dugongs and manta rays.
Boga Boga
One of the more interesting wreck dives when diving Papua New Guinea is off the fringing reef near Boga Boga, where the aircraft Black Jack lies undisturbed. Considered one of the best aircraft wrecks in the world, the B-17F is one of the first Flying Fortress bombers built by Boeing during World War II.
Port Moresby
In Port Moresby, a notable dive spot is the Pacific Gas shipwreck. It lies on a slope, with its stern in deep water. With the glass of the wheelhouse removed, divers can swim in and view angelfish, snapper, jacks, puffers and sweetlips. Hard and soft corals adorn the rear of the wheelhouse. At the bow, vibrant coral attracts a variety of critters, including leaf scorpionfish and ghost pipefish. From the capital of Port Moresby, the Eastern Fields Reef and Portlock Reef also offer memorable diving adventures. Other notable Papua New Guinea scuba diving sites include Suzie’s Bommie and Bootless Bay.
Tufi
Known as fjordland, Tufi is accented with long peninsulas that reach out to the sea. Papua New Guinea liveaboard excursions feature diving reefs, deep fjords and wrecks. Shark diving and muck diving are also common here. There’s a great deal of pelagic action, as well as an abundance of macro critters. Sightings include frogfish, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish and much more.
The reefs attract schools of large fish, including barracudas, tuna, eagle rays, trevallies, manta rays, turtles and numerous varieties of sharks, including hammerhead sharks.
Loloata
A highlight of liveaboard diving in Papua New Guinea is Loloata Island. It has some of the best coral reefs in the world, as well as exceptional marine life. With its wide variety of coral, fish and critters, the island is a favorite among underwater photographers. The island’s more than 30 dive sites offer diverse features, like drop-offs, walls, drifts, reef channels, bommies and even wrecks. Schools of pelagics, as well as glass fish, pipefish, longnose hawkfish and anthias are among the common sightings near the wrecks.
Madang
On the north coast, Madang is known as one of the most ecologically diverse barrier reef systems in the world. Its underwater wonders attract marine biologists from around the globe.
Madang’s 14 dive sites feature reefs, passages, channels and volcanic seamounts. The mild currents attract schools of fish, including clown triggerfish, Napoleon wrasse and batfish. Also common are barracudas, bigeye trevallies, spaghetti and garden eels, and the yellow-edged moray. The area also attracts migrating fish, including silver snappers, jacks, mackerels, rainbow runners and blue fin trevallies.
Divers also may encounter shark sightings, including hammerheads, tiger sharks, silvertip sharks, bronze whaler sharks, grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks.
With all that Papua New Guinea has to offer under the sea, scuba diving vacations are quite popular in the area. With so much to explore, liveaboards in Papua New Guinea are the way to go to ensure divers get the most of the underwater action.
When to Go
Papua New Guinea scuba diving is year round, thanks to its tropical climate and the different dive conditions in the Pacific Ocean, Bismarck Sea, Solomon Sea and Coral Sea. The Solomon Sea has the best scuba diving year round. December to April are ideal months for dive travel around the Pacific Ocean and Coral Sea, while May to November is best for diving the Bismarck Sea.
Throughout the year, water temperatures range from 25 to 30 degrees C (77° to 86° F). Generally, temperatures are cooler along the coast and warmer around the Coral and Bismarck seas. Visibility ranges from 66 to 130 feet.
Getting There
Port Moresby International Airport, also known as Jacksons International Airport, is located just outside Port Moresby and is the main airport serving Papua New Guinea. Connecting flights to other Papua New Guinea live aboard destinations are the preferred mode of travel since the island country’s road infrastructure is not well developed. Alotau, New Britain and Rabaul are common towns and islands where live aboard cruises start and end.
Visas and Passports
Visitors from countries listed on the Visa on Arrival Eligible Country List qualify for a visitor visa and can apply for it via the electronic visa portal from Papua New Guinea’s Immigration & Citizenship Authority (ICA). To obtain the visitor visa, a passport is required. The visitor visa is valid for 60 days from date of arrival to Papua New Guinea.
Visitors not on the eligible country list must submit an application for an entry visa permit prior to their travels to Papua New Guinea.
Time Zone
Papua New Guinea has one time zone, which is GMT+10.
Currency
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Electricity
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Language
Papua New Guinea has more than 820 indigenous languages, more languages than any other country. However, Enga, Melpa and Huli are the three most spoken indigenous languages.
The government recognizes four languages: English, Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin and the Papua New Guinean sign language. English is recognized as the language in the government and education systems, but it is not widely spoken by Papua New Guineans.
Many Papuans outside of the southern region speak Tok Pisin, which is commonly known as New Guinean Pidgin or Melanesian Pidgin. In the south, Hiri Motu is mostly spoken. In the capital city of Port Moresby, its diverse population mainly speaks Tok Pisin.