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65
Kimbe bay
My very first foray into diving PNG was in New
Britain’s
Kimbe Bay
, and to this day the bay
is still my top pick for marine biodiversity. I
have filled many hard drives with images from
Kimbe Bay, not to mention countless rolls
of film before digital came along. Schools of
batfish, trevally and barracuda are the poisson
du jour on
Bradford
and
Inglis shoals
. Forests
of sea fans and red whip corals are the norm on
Susan’s, Vanessa’s
and
South Emma reefs
. It’s
the little things that change; depending on the
season and water temperature, ghostpipefish
can be found blending in with the corals. Pygmy
sea horses, numerous colorful nudibranchs,
shrimp and crabs provide an endless array of
photo subjects. For those not interested in
photography, watching a pair of twinspot gobies
clean their dens or a blue ribbon eel collect tiny
organisms from the current is a great way to
spend a dive. There are times when I think the
observers have more fun and come home with
far more behavioral knowledge than those of us
always peering through a camera’s viewfinder.
No one knows the reefs around New Britain
better than local legends Max Benjamin and
Alan Raabe. Benjamin and Raabe operate
Walindi Plantation Resort and the liveaboard
dive vessel FeBrina, respectively. The two
are longtime friends and share a passion for
conserving and protecting the area’s reefs.
Benjamin donated land next to the resort to
establish Mahonia Na Dari (Guardian of the
Sea), an organization dedicated to research and
education. Their outreach programs teach the
local community and children from all over
PNG the value of the marine environment.
Witu islands
Outside Kimbe Bay are the wonderful
Witu
Islands
. Located only a few hours steam to
the north, these small outcrops provide some
impressive big-fish action. Current is life, and
if you can hold your position on
Lama Shoals
(also known as
Crack-a-Fat Reef
) you will
be treated to a visual spectacle in the form of
sharks, barracuda and jack. It’s a fascinating
display of predators and prey, each checking out
the other in a dance of life and death.
Dick Doyle is another memorable character
on the local scene and a dear friend. His family
has worked a cocoa plantation on the Witus for
Volcanic formations dot
the turquoise waters
of the Bismarck and
Coral seas, creating a
patchwork of coral reefs
fringed by picturesque
sandy beaches.
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12/27/11