Papua New Guinea Diving: Kimbe Bay & Milne Bay

This morning you fly to Kimbe Bay, off the island of New Britain, one of the world's premier diving destinations and a jewel of the Coral Triangle. You transfer to your dive resort, set on the beautiful bay, and, after settling in and a check dive, begin exploring the pristine reefs. Kimbe Bay is home to some of the most biodiverse and pristine reefs on earth, with over half the world's coral species and hundreds of species of fish, and its coral seamounts and reefs, rising from the depths, teem with an astonishing abundance of life. Your first dives introduce you to the vibrant coral gardens, the clouds of tropical fish, and the pristine, uncrowded beauty of this extraordinary bay. The reefs are in exceptional condition and see almost no other divers. As the sun sets over the beautiful bay, you settle into your resort, ready for several days of world-class diving in one of the most biodiverse and pristine marine environments on the planet.

A full day diving the spectacular seamounts and reefs of Kimbe Bay. A boat carries you out to the famous coral seamounts, such as Bradford Shoals and Susan's Reef, rising from the depths and teeming with life, where you dive among clouds of barracuda, jacks and fusiliers, patrolling reef sharks, and vibrant hard and soft corals festooned with huge sea fans, with thrilling encounters with pelagics in the blue. The abundance, diversity and health of the marine life are breathtaking, among the finest in the world, and the reefs see almost no other divers, so you explore this pristine, uncrowded underwater wilderness almost alone. Two tanks give you ample time to explore the seamounts and reefs. Between dives, you take in the beauty of the bay and its islands. As the sun sets over the bay, you return to your resort for a relaxed dinner, deeply satisfied after a day of world-class diving in the heart of the Coral Triangle, and the anticipation of more pristine reefs builds.

Another day diving the pristine reefs of Kimbe Bay, exploring their extraordinary variety and abundance. You dive vibrant coral gardens, dramatic drop-offs, and reefs teeming with life, from the large, sharks, barracuda and pelagics on the seamounts, to the small, an astonishing array of macro life, nudibranchs, pipefish, anemonefish and countless critters, on the reefs, a paradise for photographers. The reefs of Kimbe Bay, in the very heart of the Coral Triangle, offer breathtaking diversity and beauty, and the pristine, uncrowded conditions are a rare privilege. The friendly resort dive operation tailors the diving to your interests, with ample time in the warm, clear water. Between dives, you relax at the resort and take in the beautiful bay. As the sun sets over the bay, you return to your resort for a relaxed dinner, reflecting on the extraordinary abundance and biodiversity of Kimbe Bay's reefs. Rest well, for tomorrow brings more of this world-class, pristine diving in one of the most biodiverse marine environments on earth.

A final day diving the pristine reefs and seamounts of beautiful Kimbe Bay, savouring the extraordinary diving before moving on. You return to favourite seamounts and reefs, or explore new ones, diving among the clouds of fish, the pelagics, the sharks, and the vibrant coral of one of the most biodiverse and pristine bays on earth, in warm, clear water and almost complete solitude. You might also visit a local village or island, experiencing the warm culture and beautiful scenery of New Britain, a rich cultural counterpoint to the diving. The abundance, beauty and pristine health of Kimbe Bay's reefs are extraordinary, and the sense of diving world-class sites entirely alone is profound. As the sun sets over the beautiful bay, you return to your resort for a final Kimbe Bay dinner, reflecting on the extraordinary diving. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly to Milne Bay, the birthplace of muck diving, for world-class macro diving and the extraordinary critters of its black-sand slopes.

Today you fly from Kimbe Bay to Milne Bay, at the eastern tip of the Papua New Guinea mainland, the birthplace of muck diving and a world-class destination for macro life. You transfer to your dive resort, set on the beautiful bay, and, after settling in, begin exploring its extraordinary underwater world. Milne Bay is one of the best places on earth for muck diving, exploring the black-sand slopes and reefs that teem with an astonishing array of weird and wonderful small creatures, a paradise for photographers and lovers of the small and strange. Your first dives introduce you to the extraordinary macro life, flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, frogfish, rare nudibranchs and countless critters, alongside vibrant coral reefs and, perhaps, a wreck. The change from the pelagics of Kimbe to the critters of Milne is delightful. As the sun sets over the beautiful bay, you settle into your resort, ready to explore the world-class muck and reefs of Milne Bay, the birthplace of critter diving.

A full day diving the extraordinary muck, reefs and wrecks of Milne Bay, the birthplace of muck diving. You explore the famous black-sand slopes, hunting for the astonishing array of macro life for which Milne Bay is renowned, flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, frogfish, mandarinfish, blue-ringed octopus, rare nudibranchs, seahorses and countless other weird and wonderful critters, a paradise for underwater photographers. You also dive vibrant coral reefs, dramatic drop-offs, and, perhaps, the wrecks of the Second World War, coral-encrusted and teeming with life, hauntingly beautiful and rich in history. The diversity, rarity and abundance of the macro life is extraordinary, among the finest in the world. Two tanks give you ample time to explore this critter paradise. Between dives, you take in the beauty of the bay and its warm culture. As the sun sets over the bay, you return to your resort for a relaxed dinner, deeply satisfied after a day of world-class macro diving in the birthplace of muck diving.

Today you leave the extraordinary reefs of Milne Bay and fly back to Port Moresby, reflecting on the world-class diving you have experienced across two of Papua New Guinea's finest regions. On arrival, you transfer to your hotel, with the afternoon free to relax, do some last souvenir shopping, or reflect on your diving journey through the heart of the Coral Triangle. This evening, a farewell dinner celebrates the extraordinary diving you have experienced, the pristine seamounts and pelagics of Kimbe Bay and the world-class muck, critters and wrecks of Milne Bay, in some of the most biodiverse, pristine and uncrowded waters on earth. As you toast your adventure, the memory of the abundant, thriving reefs, the weird and wonderful critters, and the sense of diving world-class sites entirely alone stays with you. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying home a logbook full of extraordinary dives from one of the last great marine frontiers on the planet.

After a final morning in Port Moresby, you are transferred to the airport for your onward international departure. You leave with a logbook full of extraordinary dives, the pristine coral seamounts and pelagics of Kimbe Bay, the world-class muck diving and weird and wonderful critters of Milne Bay, the vibrant reefs and historic wrecks, in some of the most biodiverse, pristine and uncrowded waters on earth, at the very heart of the Coral Triangle. The abundance and diversity of the marine life, the pristine health of the reefs, and the sense of diving world-class sites entirely alone stay with you long after you unpack your fins. Papua New Guinea, one of the least-visited and most pristine diving destinations in the world, offers a rare glimpse of the ocean as it should be, alive with colour, abundance and diversity, and you depart already dreaming of a return to dive one of the last great marine frontiers on the planet, in one of the most fascinating and pristine countries on earth.