PNG TRIP REPORT: 50+ Hours Underwater Half a World Away (Part 1)

[Shasta_man]

Restrooms worse than Sorong?!

Excellent report, very concisely written and well organized. And the photos...exquisite. Captures well why we love scuba diving in these places. Beautiful.

And must do Krackafat. Every dive I've heard that much about always turns out to be that good. :-0

 

[marinediva]

What a great report, you have made me homesick.
PNG has been the best diving of my life.
For those interested I have started to prepare a private tour for divers
taking in Wrecks in Wewak, Madang, and Popondetta mid 2011,
Message me for further details.
Thanks for a great report.

 

[BubbleBlocker]

Thanks for all the feedback! Sharing the experience after the fact with a report lets me keep living the trip in a way and softens the reality of getting back to work. The trip really was a wonderful experience and I was lucky to be able to take so much time and get so many dives in while I was there. PNG is high on my list for a return trip.

And yes, Shasta_man, hard as it may be to believe I was told the restrooms were worse than Sorong by someone who lives in Indonesia. He said the Sorong airport paled in comparison and was nowhere close. I can't imagine ... :shocked2: He said if any of us needed a restroom at the Hoskins airport that we should just head out to the field out back.

And yeah, Krackafat is all that terrific!!! Not to be missed.

 

[Big fish63]

brilliant photos and a great read.

 

[jake11]

Fantastic report! Excellent photos! Brought back fond memories of our PNG trip ..especially the picture of George the barracuda!! We did not get to go to the legendary dive site, Krackafat, in the Witus. We do have a T-shirt from the Star Dancer that has that name on the sleeve!!!
Aren't these sites limited to certain times of the year? We heard the diving is fantastic there!
Your report made me think maybe it is time for a repeat trip to PNG. We too went to Loloata Island at the end of our trip and it was an excellent choice!! Thank you for all of the time and effort you put into your report!!! :0)

 

[BubbleBlocker]

Fantastic report! Excellent photos! Brought back fond memories of our PNG trip ..especially the picture of George the barracuda!! We did not get to go to the legendary dive site, Krackafat, in the Witus. We do have a T-shirt from the Star Dancer that has that name on the sleeve!!!
Aren't these sites limited to certain times of the year? We heard the diving is fantastic there!
Your report made me think maybe it is time for a repeat trip to PNG. We too went to Loloata Island at the end of our trip and it was an excellent choice!! Thank you for all of the time and effort you put into your report!!! :0)

Thanks, Jake. I do know that October is supposed to present pretty much ideal conditions. Not sure about other times during the year but I'd definitely aim for the same season if I were to do it again.

 

[gee13]

Thanks for the great detailed report and nice pics to boot. I have heard there is a premium that has to be paid as a fuel surcharge. Do you mind me asking how much you paid for the febrina and how did you get to Walindi from Port Moresby/ how long transfer (may have missed this in your report) yes PNG is on the cards for the future being fairly close to me.

 

[BubbleBlocker]

Thanks for the great detailed report and nice pics to boot. I have heard there is a premium that has to be paid as a fuel surcharge. Do you mind me asking how much you paid for the febrina and how did you get to Walindi from Port Moresby/ how long transfer (may have missed this in your report) yes PNG is on the cards for the future being fairly close to me.

You're very welcome; glad you enjoyed the report and pics. I've had to pay a fuel surcharge in the past on other liveaboards, but there was no separate surcharge for the Febrina. As far as pricing, I paid 2009 prices since I locked in early. Their current pricing should be on their website or easily obtainable. My particular trip was 10 days and was somewhere in the $4K (USD) ballpark for a single cabin. Again, it depends on when you book and what type of accommodations you desire as there are different types of cabins available.

To get to Walindi, you first fly into Port Moresby. The flights out of Port Moresby to Hoskins are in the afternoon, and take about an hour and a half. From the Hoskins airport, Walindi is about an hour's drive. Both Star Dancer and Febrina go out from Walindi.

Feel free to ask if you have additional questions.

 

[alijtaylor]

Thanks Bubbleblocker, a great report and fantastic photos. It was touching to see George again and your shark shots are stunning. PNG diving is truely awesome and Febrina is a great way to experience it.

Alison

 

[Lunahippo]

i'm off to PNG in July- can't wait!!!!! wonderful trip report and photos- thanks for sharing