Trip report : Tawali resort Milne bay PNG March17

[Luko]

I wanted to give my feedback diving PNG Milne bay for one week end of March17.

I was looking this year for a nice dive trip march/april, as I am a frequent SEA diver especially Indonesia, I first considered going back to Raja Ampat which always delivers, but in the back of my head I had PNG and also one SB member I met in Bali advising me “you should go & dive Milne bay”

Nevertheless I contacted some operators from Raja Ampat when a spam coming from Philippines Airlines hit my mailbox : it said “promo fares ManiIa-Port Moresby”… I forgot how spam could be tasty… somehow a hush in my ear went “you should go & dive Milne bay”.

Of course I couldn’t afford (probably more on the mental aspect) two weeks in PNG as much as I had nothing to entice my non diving wife to a (east) papuan trip for two weeks, hence I started building up an itinerary including a final part in Hongkong and quickly made a business plan on how much a trip to R4 would cost vs. a trip to PNG. Since the difference was not that significant and the external “you should go & dive Milne bay” was still buzzing my ears, we decided to go forward with a new destination in our logbook.

I directly contacted Tawali resort on my own, as they were happy to have us on the beginning of the dive season we quickly settled on a weektime that was perfect with Philippines Airlines return flight schedule from/to Manila. Even better: as the regional flight HKG-Manila-HKG was considered as a feeder to the intercontinental leg to Port Moresby, I had the surprise that when booking online the return flight HKG Manila was also discounted.

As you understood this was my first trip to PNG, and although I lived 10 years in the south Pacific, was quite accustomed to Melanesian way of life and spoke pidgin, I was still a little worried about the first steps in PortMoresby considered as the utmost cutthroat city in the south Pacific.

Everything got better when papuan friendliness showed up once I had a little pidgin refresher with the friendly lady at the immigration desk.
We booked the ultra-expensive Airways hotel and got a promotion for upgrading to the executive wing/all day lounge pilfering and boozing from the hotel desk. When you know there are very few restaurants around, the unlimited access to the lounge is probably a good bet.

One thing I give 5 stars to the Airways is the exquisite view from the breakfast terrace, looking down on the tarmac and away to the jungle hills covered with morning mist under the sunrise light and a cool breeze. I am not even joking I rate it as #1 breakfast room in the world.

Morning at Airways hotel

After which we flew AirNiugini, booked from home, to Alotau where Tawali resort shuttle drove us for 1,5 hours + 20 minutes boat ride to the resort. This is where we met the resort manager and staff as well as Nozaki the japanese instructor who we would enjoy her company for the week along with the local guide and macro expert Albert.

Tawali Pier and dive boat

I didn’t know what to expect as some had told me Milne bay was much about muck, while a reliable feedback ensured me it was a good mix of muck and lots of coral reefs.
I was really eager to see by myself.

Next posts for the diving

 

[Trailboss123]

I wanted to give my feedback diving PNG Milne bay for one week end of March17.

I was looking this year for a nice dive trip march/april, as I am a frequent SEA diver especially Indonesia, I first considered going back to Raja Ampat which always delivers, but in the back of my head I had PNG and also one SB member I met in Bali advising me “you should go & dive Milne bay”

Nevertheless I contacted some operators from Raja Ampat when a spam coming from Philippines Airlines hit my mailbox : it said “promo fares ManiIa-Port Moresby”… I forgot how spam could be tasty… somehow a hush in my ear went “you should go & dive Milne bay”.

Of course I couldn’t afford (probably more on the mental aspect) two weeks in PNG as much as I had nothing to entice my non diving wife to a (east) papuan trip for two weeks, hence I started building up an itinerary including a final part in Hongkong and quickly made a business plan on how much a trip to R4 would cost vs. a trip to PNG. Since the difference was not that significant and the external “you should go & dive Milne bay” was still buzzing my ears, we decided to go forward with a new destination in our logbook.

I directly contacted Tawali resort on my own, as they were happy to have us on the beginning of the dive season we quickly settled on a weektime that was perfect with Philippines Airlines return flight schedule from/to Manila. Even better: as the regional flight HKG-Manila-HKG was considered as a feeder to the intercontinental leg to Port Moresby, I had the surprise that when booking online the return flight HKG Manila was also discounted.

As you understood this was my first trip to PNG, and although I lived 10 years in the south Pacific, was quite accustomed to Melanesian way of life and spoke pidgin, I was still a little worried about the first steps in PortMoresby considered as the utmost cutthroat city in the south Pacific.

Everything got better when papuan friendliness showed up once I had a little pidgin refresher with the friendly lady at the immigration desk.
We booked the ultra-expensive Airways hotel and got a promotion for upgrading to the executive wing/all day lounge pilfering and boozing from the hotel desk. When you know there are very few restaurants around, the unlimited access to the lounge is probably a good bet.

One thing I give 5 stars to the Airways is the exquisite view from the breakfast terrace, looking down on the tarmac and away to the jungle hills covered with morning mist under the sunrise light and a cool breeze. I am not even joking I rate it as #1 breakfast room in the world.

Morning at Airways hotel

View attachment 410507

After which we flew AirNiugini, booked from home, to Alotau where Tawali resort shuttle drove us for 1,5 hours + 20 minutes boat ride to the resort. This is where we met the resort manager and staff as well as Nozaki the japanese instructor who we would enjoy her company for the week along with the local guide and macro expert Albert.

Tawali Pier and dive boat

View attachment 410508

I didn’t know what to expect as some had told me Milne bay was much about muck, while a reliable feedback ensured me it was a good mix of muck and lots of coral reefs.
I was really eager to see by myself.

Next posts for the diving

Looking forward to the rest of your report. Enjoying it so far.

 

[Luko]

Diving Tawali in a nutshell : Lawadi also known as Dinah’s beach provides two or three spots of fantastic muck dive, it’s not far way from the resort and close to another world class dive site called Deacon’s reef, providing stunning views with cathedral light playing on the corals, coming from the canopy filtered sun.

There are also worthly blue water dives such as Barracuda point, a coral covered plateau/shallow pinnacle with a wall where sometimes Hammerheads are seen, or Coral garden a very shallow site with incredible hard corals.

Out from Tawali near and off Milne bay, outer islands and reefs are reached on a tuna trailer revamped as a powerful and comfortable dive boat. Some of the pinnacle like Tania’s are teeming with reef fish and spectacular hard coral coverage, all that in 25 to 40 meters visibilty and 30°C warm waters.

That said other than a couple of whitetips, tunas, trevallies, sometimes a scarce school of cudas or a few spanish mackerels, we wouldn’t spot any biggies and I had the impression it was not the place for sharks or pelagic stuff. That was confirmed by Nozaki and the staff : if pelagics are your thing then head up to Kavieng, Milne bay is the place for outstanding corals, reef fish and lots of macro.

So now let the pictures describe a few of the spots dived.

I’ll start with the dives around Tawali, Barracuda and Coral Garden, then Deacon's. (I'll have a specific mucky part on Lawadi)

My first UW photo ever in PNG, this is Milne bay viz :



Typical tubastrea corals and anthias on Barracuda




Barracuda reefscape

Damselfish cloud on Coral garden

Bowling anemone on Coral garden




Split view of coral garden




And now for Deacon’s reef perhaps my favorite coral spot in this trip, I dived it 3 times and wanted even more.

One of Deacon’s reef pinnacles next to the wall

Fish life on the top of Deacon’s pinnacles

Here’s how the lighting goes in Deacon’s shallows, under the jungle canopy close to the land

Next we'll go out to the outer reefs

 

[Luko]

The Outer reefs are accessed on 3 dives/full day trip, it’s also better to pick Nitrox in this case, dives can be long and a little deeper than around Tawali although I don’t remember getting deeper than 29m. There’s a lot to see in the shallower parts.

Tania’s reef is considered as the most beautiful reef of the outer islands, I only had one day out (must say I asked to favor muck and deacon reef around Tawali resort in my week diving), so Nozaki and the dive team picked the best for me.

Tania’s and outer reef attractions are mainly :

The bountiful and colorful corals

The damselfishsoup teeming over the plateau corals, it’s almost a solid wall of damselfish.

The schools of smaller fish like bannerfish or fusiliers​

The proof is in the pudding.

Corals, corals, corals…




Yet another coral reefscape on Tania’s

Big Sponge, small fish. (island proverb… or may be I invented it….)




Turtle every now and then bumping on my dome

Fusiliers schooling on Tania’s

Fish & Sponge

Bannerfish schools




Damselfish soup

Did I say that outer reefs was fine for macro and also hosted stuff like pygmy seahorses

Denise pygmy seahorse

Severnsi on a pink background

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[Luko]

And now with the special Lawadi muck dive site where it all began.

This very site is the mother of muck dive, where Bob Halstead first called thsis kind of dive “muck diving” . For a macro aficionado like me it was like going on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, touching Jerusalem’s wall or travelling for the hajj to Mecca.

Lawadi doesn’t disappoint in terms of nudibranches, I hardly know a site which is more populated in nudis than Lawadi. Lembeh, Anilao or Tulamben included.
Other critters were scarce, some interesting crustacea, very few froggies almost none octopi. But I came mostly for nudibranchs and especially Cyerce nudibranches ( also came for Lacey rhinopias but it was too warm and not the season for rhinopias they told me, although Nozaki sent me a pic of a damn lacey rhinopias sighted two weeks after my departure).

So for the nudis I had my share of it and immediately multiple specimen of one I was looking for Cyerce Nigra.

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Then a common one around here I hadn’t seen before was the beautiful Miamira sinuate I can’t get tired of.

Low key snooted Miamira sinuata

High Key sinuata

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Junior sinuata

Then many many others, more than 10-12 different species each dive.

Dendrodoris krusensternii

Strange oxynoe sp. nudi

Talkin’ to Bornella Anguilla

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Doriprismatica stellata

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Elysia sp. nudi

You raved about the sheep nudi, here's the piglet nudi Rostanga sp.

 

[Luko]

Since I feel you’re bored with nudis, some other stuff.


Emperor shrimp riding on mating nudis.. sorry it’s nudis again..

Admiral Nelson, one armed crippled Emperor shrimp.

a Mantis shrimp with eggs

Crinoid shrimp

Juve froggie

The map of Africa... c'mon it's a nudi again !!!!

And that’s the kind of scene you get when surfacing after 80-100 minutes dives. My first and only split image taken with a 100mm lens.

Lawadi on a paddle boat.

That was then time to pack and fly back through Hongkong. Big city, bright lights.

 

[WetPup]

So purdy

I need another trip to Milne Bay.

 

[Wingy]

And now you see why we Milne bay devotees love the place

 

[dirtfarmer]

Wicked Awesome shots Luko!

Milne is on my list but it's pricey so I can't even bring myself to look at flights yet.

Luko you have brought it to mind again, maybe that's my "airfare spam".

 

[Manuel Sam]

Fantastic shots. Thank you.

So when is Rhinopias Aphanes (Lacey Scorpion) season?

And did you have to take Malarone or some other Malaria pills?