PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Tawali Dive Resort
Neville Coleman/Copyright Neville Coleman
Few dive resorts could boast such a fantastic extravaganza. Jungle hideaways and a smorgasboard of habitats just amongst the home reef environment.
Copyright / photo:Roger Steene
Over the last few years the fantastic dive sites at Milne Bay have produced more discoveries of new and undescribed marine life by divers than anywhere else in the Asia Indo-Pacific area.
Accessible only by boat, Tawali Dive Resort has been constructed on a high limestone bluff overlooking the clear waters and fringing coral reefs of Hoia Bay on Milne Bay's north coast. The design plan is a huge high-roofed main lodge containing an entertainment, and dining area leading out onto the observation deck with barbecue, outside seating and look-out. At night one can see schools of flashlight fish glowing ghost-like in the shallows.
The lodge is filled with artworks, carvings and paintings, framed by huge intricately carved totems, some of which took years to complete. A central glass display wall is filled with the most fantastic bottle
collection in Papua New Guinea. Hundreds of old bottles have been collected from the sea floor.
Each air-conditioned bungalow is connected to the main lodge by a raised covered walkway meandering between forest giants and rugged limestone outcrops. All bungalows are insect proof with screens;
spacious living areas contain two queen beds and rosewood interiors including desks, closet and lounge, a personal safe, modern tiled bathrooms and solar heated water.
Seaside villages nestle in the adjoining bays and guests are welcome to visit and purchase local carvings and shell-craft necklaces made by the villagers. Local foods are also on display at the small markets.
Diving
Tawali Dive Resort's latest high speed Live aboard "The Spirit of Niugini" operates as a charter vessel, servicing the more elusive areas of Milne Bay.
With over 30 dive sites in close proximity, both macro and wide-angle photographers can be more than satisfied. Critters such as octopus, cuttlefish, lionfish, ghost pipefish, mimic octopus, frog fish, Coleman shrimps and a huge variety of nudibranchs can be found.
If you are really into muck diving any of the dive sites would suit you as there are critters all around. However, because currents carrying larvae don't act the same every year it is
difficult to predict exactly what might be seen. The species proclaimed at the dive sites have all been found at those locations along with hundreds more.
Some long-term inhabitants do exist and have been known at their specific locations for many years. Such is the moray eel cleaning station at around 20 metres at the middle of the beach at Lawadi.
This spectacular, easily-found and accessed jumble of rocks and coral has two major holes. The biggest is on the deeper side and another smaller one is on the right-hand side, both provide cleaner shrimp action, day and night.
Resident Common octopus Octopus cyanea abound around the various shore reefs and practice their hunting techniques on a regular basis. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
I have spent entire dives haunting cleaner shrimp stations waiting to get this exact shot. In 2006 I was at the moray eel station at 20 metres and after 40 years I got the image I wanted. All it needed was to be at the right place at the right time. Milne bay was the place. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
The deeper black sand slopes around Tawali Dive Resort have brilliant critters but there are many more in the shallows. The best and most productive critter depths are from one to 10 metres. Within this area there are well over 1000 species to find and photograph.
The offshore coral reefs are very pretty, but species are often more difficult to locate due to their being so many hiding places that one cannot get a camera into.
Muck diving and its associated shore reefs are the best way to go if you wish to accumulate a great selection
of interesting critters and for my money, Tawali Dive Resort dive sites have it all.
This large female Imperial shrimp Periclimenes imperator was hitching a ride on what must be the best looking soft bottom sea cucumber in both the west and the east the Red - lined sea cucumber Thelenota rubralineata at only 20 metres. ( photo: Neville Coleman)
How to get there:
Airlines:
International: Air Niugini and Airlines PNG
Domestic: Air Niugini, Airlines PNG
Airport:
Jackson's International Airport is the gateway of Papua New Guinea, situated about 8km away from the main town centre of Port Moresby. Mt Hagen Provincial Airport has been declared International port of entry because of the mining activities around the highland provinces.
Domestic:
Gurney Airport - Alotau.
Once in Alotau, guests will be picked up and escorted to Tawali resort by bus and boat. Reaching Tawali takes about a hour and fifteen minutes by bus and boat transport.
Entry requirements:
A 60-day tourist visa is available on arrival in Port Moresby at a fee of K100. To obtain a visa before you enter the country costs K74. You will need travel documents, sufficient funds for your stay in the country and airline ticket with confirmed outbound flights before expiry date of your visa. As some restrictions apply to several Asian, Eastern European and African countries, please check with the nearest Papua New Guinea comission, which is allocated in each country for visa requirements before travelling to the country.
Health regulations:
Certification or vaccination against yellow fever or cholera is required for travellers over one year of age coming from or through infected areas. Malaria is a serious health risk. Visitors are strongly advised to consult your local doctor or tropical disease clinic to commence anti-malarial preparations before arrival.
Water:
The water quality is within World Health Organisation standards in most towns however it is advised that you do not drink tap water. A jug of drinking water will be supplied by hotels. Bottled water is sold everywhere. In rural areas it is advisable to boil water at all times.
Value added tax (VAT):
All transactions within hotels, restaurants and bars are subject to 10% tax which is included in published prices.
Climate:
Warm to hot and humid throughout the year. There is a rainy season which varies from province to province; however, in general, it is driest from May to December. The air is clean; watch out for sunburn, particularly in the highlands, even on overcast days.
Dress:
Informal and casual with shorts and open neck shirts worn throughout the year along with traditional items and apparel; ramis, sulus, laplaps and kolos. Thongs, sneakers and sandshoes are not allowed in some bars and restaurants. In the highlands, sturdy walking shoes are recommended, as is a sweater or jacket for cool evenings. Female dress should always be modest.
Electrical voltage:
Electrical current on the national grid is 240 volts. The type of plug that electrical appliance use in PNG is TYPE 1. Some hotels provide 110 volt outlets in guest rooms for shavers and hair dryers.
Medical services:
Dental, doctors and hospital services are available in all major centres. Medical clinics and aid posts are found in remote areas and several hospitals are privately owned.
Malaria is a real and ever-present danger in Papua New Guinea; every precaution must be taken, preventative medication and preventative measures - don't get bitten by mosquitoes.
Telecommunication:
Papua New Guinea has modern satellite communications, which have brought the world closer at the touch of a few buttons. ISD and STD dialling are available in most parts of the country. Telex and facsimile services are also readily available except in very remote areas where high frequency radios are in use.
Time zone:
Papua New Guinea is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Tipping:
Visitors to the country are guests and hospitality is an honour. Tips are not expected nor encouraged.
Transportation:
Transportation is mostly by air across Papua New Guinea. A good network of roads connects the northern zone and the highlands region. Hire and rental cars, local boats and ferries, taxis in larger towns, plus local buses. There is no road link between the northern zone and the capital, Port Moresby because of the rugged nature of the terrain.
Information: PAPUA NEW GUINEA TOURISM PROMOTION AUTHORITY
PO BOX 1291, PORT MORESBY, NCD PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Copyright Neville Coleman
Tawali Adventures
http://www.tawali.com/tawali/
M.V. Chertan Liveaboard Dive Adventures
Milne Bay Marine Charters
Rob van der Loos - Managing Director
P.O. Box 176
Alotau, Milne Bay Province (211)
Papua New Guinea (Niugini)
www.Chertan.com
Spirit of Niugini Liveaboard Dive Adventures
P.O. Box 1684
Alameda, CA 94501
U.S. Only (800) 684-9480
(510) 865-2822
(510) 865-1754 FAX
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