Muck Diving in Papua New Guinea

The term ‘muck diving’ was coined by Papua New Guinea diving legend Bob Halstead, meaning you can bet your bottom dollar that there is excellent muck diving in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Bob was a pioneer of the PNG diving scene, and he and the Port Moresby Diving Club were the guys who put PNG on the international diving map. After exploring the underwater world in and around Port Moresby, Bob and his pals built the Telita, PNG’s first dive boat, and started exploring farther afield, where they discovered the superlative muck diving in Papua New Guinea....

Milne Bay

One of the first places they explored was the narrow Milne Bay, in the southeast corner of New Guinea. They quickly discovered an array of bizarre and weird creatures making the bay their home, and, to describe the diving on the bay's black volcanic sand, they used the phrase 'muck diving'. In Papua New Guinea, Milne Bay is a favourite location for many visiting divers. In addition to the phenomenal muck diving, there are also sites offering drift dives, WWII wreck dives, wall dives, shallow patch reefs and deeper oceanic reefs.

Tufi

To the north of Milne Bay is the headland known as Cape Nelson, at the end of which is the town of Tufi. The town is located on one of many rias, or drowned river valleys, known locally as 'fjords', and is surrounded by several dive sites and uncharted reefs. The fjords offer another excellent chance to witness the excellent muck diving in Papua New Guinea, while the deeper offshore reefs are regularly visited by the bigger fish.

New Britain

The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the north-eastern coast of mainland PNG, which is where you will find the island of New Britain. The island is home to a variety of dive sites and is surrounded by very deep water. New Britain was largely formed by volcanic processes, and this, together with the fact that it sits within the Coral Triangle, ensures it's another great place to explore the muck diving in Papua New Guinea. Kimbe Bay, on the island's north coast, is the place to be for muck diving enthusiasts; the bay is known as the 'Coral Capital of the World' and is home to critters such as hairy frogfish, mantis shrimp, nudibranchs and ghost pipefish. And if you fancy taking your wide-angle setup for a spin, there's always the WWII Mitsubishi Zero plane wreck to explore.

For the ultimate Papua New Guinea experience, we love combining all three of these distinct destinations to experience the nation's stunning scenery, diverse culture and its fantastic and varied diving. Big fish, historical wrecks and some of the planet's best muck diving await...

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Emily C and Eleanor are our 'Muck Diving in Papua New Guinea' experts and as seasoned travellers they have the inside track on the most memorable adventures.

Call us on 1-800-652-1972