PARADISE

TRAVELLER
Top 13 diving sites
OUR REGION
PICTURE: DIVEPLANIT.COM
PICTURE: DIVEPLANIT.COM
PICTURE: DAREK SEPIOLO, WALINDI RESORT
Sea life … a silver tip shark at Father’s Reef in West New Britain (opposite page); a nudibranch at Tulamben in Bali, Indonesia (above); divers with a turtle
at the wreck of the USAT Liberty at Tulamben (middle); diving with barracuda at Kimbe Bay, PNG (right).
5
Fathers Reefs,
West New Britain
A long, extinct volcanic
caldera, Fathers Reefs
are a series of reefs along the
northern coast of New Britain.
The underwater topography is of
dramatic reef scapes, arches and
swim-throughs. Being offshore,
these reefs also attract pelagic
activity such as sharks, rays,
turtles and schools of barracuda.
Visibility: 20-30m+
Depth 5–30m
Ability level: Advanced and
above
Stay: If you’re looking to dive
around West New Britain in
comfort and style, the MV
FeBrina is the way to go. This
spacious, purpose-built, liveaboard
accommodates just 12 divers,
and departs the Walindi Resort
for eight-day itineraries regularly
throughout the year.
See walindifebrina.com.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
6Mirror Pond,
Russell Islands
The Solomon Islands is best
known for its many World
War 2 wrecks of everything from
planes to submarines and ships.
Many lie at the unfathomable
depths of Iron Bottom Sound
(named for the amount of metal
down there), while many more
are scattered around the fringing
reefs and shallow lagoons, all of
which provide exceptional, and
easy diving.
Mirror Pond, however, is not
a wreck site. It is a sub-aquatic
passage that ends in a chamber
where you can surface in an
ocean-water pool surrounded by
over-hanging jungle.
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