Madang & the North Coast · Papua New Guinea · Channel & pass · Drift · Coral garden
Magic Passage
A wall of big-eye trevally closing around divers on the turning tide
Magic Passage is a narrow channel between Kranket Island and Leper Island and the most popular of Madang's passages. Tidal currents feed the coral gardens along its sides, and on the change of tide it fills with schooling fish, above all big-eye trevally.
Where it is and how deep
5.1976° S, 145.8231° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The passage is about 40 m wide and bottoms out at around 30 m, and the tidal current carries divers through it as a drift over coral gardens. The dive is timed for the change of tide, when the channel becomes a mass of schooling fish.
Silvery Caranx sexfasciatus trevally form a living wall around divers as they hang in the passage. Barracuda, reef sharks, fusiliers, sweetlips and snappers move through the same water.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Reef sharks
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Madang & the North Coast: Diving runs all year; May to October brings the heaviest rain and run-off that clouds the sites nearest the mainland.
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive Magic Passage?+
On the change of tide. That is when the tidal current through the 40 m wide channel brings in the big schools of trevally that the passage is known for.
Sources
- Dive Sites — Niugini Dive Adventures
- Magic Passage — Niugini Dive Adventures
- Madang diving — Underwater Asia
- Magic Passage — UnderwaterPhotography.com
- Madang dive sites — DivePlanit
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
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