Coral Triangle · Papua New Guinea
New Ireland & Kavieng
Sharks and tuna on the tide at Albatross Passage, and wartime floatplane wrecks
Photo: Micha Baum · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kavieng, at the northern tip of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea, was a Japanese base in the Second World War, and its waters now mix a tidal passage, coral walls and aircraft wrecks. Albatross Passage fills with sharks, eagle rays and tuna on the incoming tide, floatplane wrecks lie near Nusa Island, and Bermuda Drop and Baudisson Bay are walls. Most dives run from 2 m on the Lissenung house reef to 31 m on the open-ocean ridge at Echuca Patch.
About diving in New Ireland & Kavieng
Dives are made from boats, and the Lissenung house reef is also dived from shore. Several dive companies work out of Kavieng town, and an island resort sits 20 minutes by boat from it. Albatross Passage is timed for the incoming tide, when the narrow channel fills with fish. Deep Pete is a shorter dive because of its depth, and the shallow Ral Island suits the third dive of the day or the dive after Deep Pete. Longer trips stay overnight on Tunnung Island off the north coast of New Hanover to dive the sites there.
Baudisson Bay is a wall rising from 800 m to the surface, and Bermuda Drop slopes through colourful coral before its vertical drop-off. Kavieng was the target of numerous Allied attacks as a Japanese base, and plane and ship wrecks lie in the harbour and around it, among them the shallow Jake floatplane near Nusa Island, Deep Pete and the B-25 Stubborn Hellion. The sandy slope west of Ral Island holds decorator crabs, seahorses, pipefish, nudibranchs, flatworms, frogfish and the occasional mimic octopus.
The more demanding sites suit experienced divers. Echuca Patch lies in open ocean, Deep Pete sits at 40 m, and Chapman's Reef off the western-most point of New Hanover can run in very strong current. Divers who want an easier day have the coral garden at Ral Island, a gentle and relaxing dive, and the shallow house reef.
Best time to dive New Ireland & Kavieng
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
The year starts in the wet: in New Ireland the rain season runs from the end of December to the end of March, and North Pacific swells reach the northern end of the island around Kavieng from November to April. Between May and October the boats make weather-dependent trips to Tunnung Island off the north coast of New Hanover, including Chapman's Reef. The swell returns in November and the rain follows at the end of December. Water stays warm all year, between about 29 and 32°C.
Dive types & marine life
Grey reef and whitetip sharks are seen at Baudisson Bay on almost every dive. Eagle rays, blacktip sharks, big tuna, jacks and barracuda work Albatross Passage on the incoming tide, with mobula rays only sometimes. Chapman's Reef off New Hanover has a resident family of giant groupers, reached on the May to October trips.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Muck & macro
- Night
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Tuna
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Mobula rays
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
- Frogfish
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in New Ireland & Kavieng
- 1
Albatross Passage
Narrow tidal passage where eagle rays, grey reef sharks, tuna and sometimes mobulas gather on the incoming tide.
- 2
Echuca Patch
Open-ocean ridge rising from 45 m to within 12 m of the surface just outside Kavieng.
- 3
Deep Pete
Floatplane wreck at 40 m with schools of batfish, barracuda, jacks and snapper.
- 4
Bermuda Drop
Coral wall sloping from 3 m to 25 m, then dropping vertically out of sight.
- 5
Baudisson Bay
Vertical wall with swim-throughs and crevices, where the real draw is a big variety of nudibranchs.
- 6
Stubborn Hellion B-25
B-25 medium bomber lying in 12 m on a silty bottom, turret guns and tail gun still in place.
- 7
Ral Island
Tiny island ringed by a coral garden, with no current and a 15 m maximum.
- 8
Lissenung Island Reef
House reef around two-thirds of the island, from 2 m to 10 m, suited to photographers and night dives.
Site guides
Channel & pass
Eagle rays and grey reef sharks crowding the channel as the tide floods in
Wall
A coral slope that suddenly turns into a sheer drop out of sight
Wreck
A wartime Japanese floatplane ringed by schooling batfish and snapper
Pinnacle
An isolated ocean ridge whose point pulls in barracuda and jacks
Coral garden
Frogfish, seahorses and the odd mimic octopus on the sandy slope west of the island
A Second World War bomber that ditched after a raid on Kavieng
How to get to New Ireland & Kavieng
Kavieng Airport has daily connections to Port Moresby. Dive centres operate from Kavieng town, and the island resort on Lissenung lies 20 minutes by boat from the town.
Photos from New Ireland & Kavieng
Micha Baum · CC BY-SA 4.0
Micha Baum · CC BY-SA 4.0
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive Kavieng?+
May to October. The rain season runs from the end of December to the end of March, and North Pacific swells reach the Kavieng coast from November to April. The New Hanover trips run only between May and October, weather permitting.
What certification is needed for the New Hanover trip?+
Advanced Open Water plus 50 dives, or Open Water plus 100 dives. Chapman's Reef on that trip can run in very strong current.
Are there Second World War wrecks to dive at Kavieng?+
Yes. Kavieng was a Japanese base and the target of numerous Allied attacks, and plane and ship wrecks lie in the harbour and around it: the shallow Jake floatplane near Nusa Island, Deep Pete at 40 m, and the B-25 Stubborn Hellion in 12 m.
How do divers get to Kavieng?+
By air: Kavieng Airport has daily connections to Port Moresby. Dive centres are in Kavieng town, and the island resort on Lissenung is 20 minutes away by boat.
Sources
- Dive Sites | Lissenung Island Resort — Lissenung Island Resort
- Wrecks – Scuba Ventures Kavieng — Scuba Ventures Kavieng
- Scuba Ventures Kavieng — Scuba Ventures Kavieng
- Kavieng – Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Kavieng – Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Kavieng Average Sea Temperatures — seatemperature.org
- New Hanover Special — Lissenung Island Resort
- FAQ — Lissenung Island Resort
Photo credits
- A school of silver barracuda with dark-barred flanks swimming in open blue water by Micha Baum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A white butterflyfish with curved black stripes and yellow fins over branching coral by Micha Baum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A Moorish idol with black, white and yellow bands and a long trailing dorsal fin over rocky reef by Micha Baum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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