Someone post a good PNG trip report.....preferably from the MV Febrina....any takers?

[Heg]

I cant comment on the Febrina, as we stayed at Walindi, but air travel within PNG is not pleasant. We had to stay overnight in Port Moresby on the way out (huge prices for a basic room in a hotel) due to no connecting flights, but as it turns out , all Air Niugini flights to Hoskins were cancelled that day anyway.
(We chose AN over Airlines PNG because of the slightly better safety record...)

We arrived at the domestic terminalthe next moring , two hours before our flight and were still waiting to check in after the scheduled departure time. It was absolute carnage.

We finally stopped being polite and barged to the front of a queue and demanded to be let on the flight. We ran all the way to the gate and then out to the waiting plane to find it virtually empty. We then sat on the tarmac for another hour and a half while folk boarded in dribs and drabs.

The return journey was just as grim. We showed up at the 'airport' and stood outside for an hour until it opened. It was then a scrum around the check in desks . Some locals had been waiting for a week to get on a flight. Our group all had onward connections in Port Moresby and thanks to the fact that we demanded to be given seays and the Walindi driver having a quiet word, we all managed to get on. Once on the plane it was a repeat of the outward journey. People boarding in singles and pairs for well over over an hour. We just made our onward connections, but it has put me off ever going back to PNG, which is a shame becasue the diving was superb.

 

[chillyinCanada]

How does the diving there compare to Raja Ampat?

 

[mikeycanuk]

Ugh. Might have have to put PNG off the list


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[ewaiea]

I would have to say the air travel in and out of PNG IS a definite adventure. Personally I have booked my international long-haul travel on Delta from Minneapolis-Los Angeles-Sydney round trip.....I had enough frequent flier miles that I was able to do it for free in business class and only had to pay a small processing fee. I'm staying overnight at the Rydges Sydney Airport hotel - I arrive on the morning of October 4th and am hoping for an early checkin and then I stay 1 night and then take off the next morning.

I will be leaving Sydney on Jetstar with a route of Sydney-Cairns-Port Moresby-Hoskins. I have a 13 hour layover in Port Moresby and since it's overnight (and long) I opted to book a room at the Airways Hotel. I'm then arriving on (if all goes well) October 6th with the full day of October 6, 7 and 8 at Walindi....I board Febrina the evening of October 8th.

When I flew through PNG last time I had flight cancellations hoping to take the evening flight from POM to HKN, but lack of daylight and flight delays caused me to have to overnight....that's why I'm opting to try and catch the morning flight and just submitting to a overnight in POM so that way if my morning flight is delayed or cancelled I should have a shot at perhaps getting on the evening flight.

I would say everyone's experiences are different with PNG travel - but with how amazing the diving is it's worth it....especially if you plan to arrive early this will at least give you a buffer.

I'm taking the same route on the way home (with exception of my Australia connection back to Sydney is in Brisbane and not Cairns). I plan to take 4 days in Sydney and do some diving there too. I've never dove Australia and would LOVE to have had the chance to dive the Great Barrier Reef....but instead I'm going to do some wine touring and also some diving in New South Wales off of the Sydney area. I figure that could be pretty fun. Along with touring the harbor and the opera house.

FYI....you can fly into POM from other areas besides Australia, but I think the flights from Australia are usually cheaper than from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore or anyplace else....either way it's pricey. It's ashame it's so expensive for such a crappy on time rate.

I cannot wait for this trip....it cannot come soon enough!

 

[mjrob]

OK, what are the water conditions like in July, if anyone knows. Water temps? Currents? We want to pack small. Can we take the small fins or will we have lots of current to contend with?

Thanks!

 

[Heg]

How does the diving there compare to Raja Ampat?

I'll let you know when I get back from RA in march 2015

 

[chillyinCanada]

I'll let you know when I get back from RA in march 2015

That's a long wait Heg. But hey, I'll take it if no one else shows up with a comparison in the meantime. Heck, I'll look forward to your report and then your comparison in any event!

 

[Allison Finch]

I don't mean to be a spoilsport, but I recently cancelled a confirmed booking on the Febrina and demanded (and got) my deposit back. I just did not like the company's attitude and felt that they too too much for granted.

Too bad.

I have dived many times on the FeBrina and find them to be a great operation. Your loss was, hopefully, someone's gain.

---------- Post added April 9th, 2014 at 09:24 PM ----------

Ugh. Might have have to put PNG off the list


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Don't take it off of your list. It is SO worth it. I have lost count of how many times I've dived there and, while the flights can be a challenge, just keep your sense of humor and all will go well.

As for the FeBrina, while the boat may not be the biggest or the plushest, it is one of the best run boats in PNG. It is quick (unlike some of the slower boats) and I like having two engines onboard. The diving is so much easier than most because you don't have to get in and out of a tender. The boat takes you right to the dive spot.

Alan Raabe has forgotten more about diving PNG than most captains will ever know. He is very active in protecting the reefs and has installed the majority of the permanent moorings in Kimbe, Fathers, the Gazelle Peninsula and now along the south shore. And, he is generous with allowing anyone to use them to keep anchors off the reefs.

Yes, you pay for your beers, but wine with dinner is free. And, they get some fabulous Aussie wines onboard.

One sad note for this year, however, My good friend Dickie Doyle (who ran the plantation on Garove Island) passed away last year. It just won't be the same without him.

---------- Post added April 9th, 2014 at 09:30 PM ----------

OK, what are the water conditions like in July, if anyone knows. Water temps? Currents? We want to pack small. Can we take the small fins or will we have lots of current to contend with?

Thanks!

Water will be in the 80's. A 3 mil should take care of you.

Currents aren't too bad. But, on some of the bommies/seamounts, they can be a pain. But, you just duck into the leeward side of the bommie for a good dive. On one dive where you can go from one bommie to another, the channel between the two can rip. There is a cable that runs between them that you can pull along on.

Say hi to George Jr. at Killibob's for me. He is a huge, but friendly, giant barracuda who lives there. He is the third who has greeted divers, I believe.

Pack a lot of swimsuits. Change the minute you get out, as sitting on the seats in a wet suit is bad. You can often log 5 dives a day, if you are not motoring to the Witu's or some other long motor.

As for a comparison to RA, there are sea mounts in Kimbe Bay, which you don't see as many of in RA. More currents in RA, in my experience. MUCH less crowded than RA. The last time I was in RA, you actually saw other dive boats (one sank while I was there). In some areas, your boat may even get bumped from a site that is "controlled" by a land based operation. Grrrr....

RA and PNG are quite different and BOTH are worth going to.

 

[Shasta_man]

<<a cable that runs between them>> Wow, what conveniences! Saying RA is crowded, since it is so large, is really saying something.

 

[Allison Finch]

<<a cable that runs between them>> Wow, what conveniences!

This is a poor photo of the cable between the bommies. It is weird to be pulling along the rope in what looks like blue water. As you can see, the crinoids make use of the strong currents bringing food to them.

Saying RA is crowded, since it is so large, is really saying something.

It surprised me too. The first time diving there we were totally alone, no one anywhere around. Now there are quite a few boats and several land based working the most popular areas. It seems that there is a real concentration on certain areas that are easy to get to.