Okay, first off, this is waaay too many photos to post in a single gallery - I know.  But hmmmm, why would I post this many?  Because this was SIMPLY THE BEST DIVING I’VE EVER DONE.  Why does the world not know about this???  The photos in this gallery were shot on 3 charters in March, including one from Rabaul back to Kimbe.  Not a bad haul!

In January, the monsoons and northwesterly winds make Witu & Fathers Reef less than pleasant, so I moved around to Rabaul, and did charters on the south side of West New Britain, where the weather is calm.  But this little-known and seldom-dove area is home to the coolest critters and healthiest reefs in the world.  The diving on the south side is a mix of reef, wall, channel, and muck.  The first three of those are great and all, but its the seemingly barren sand slopes that really produced.  Now a disclaimer, without the help of my dive guides, I wouldn’t have found even half of this stuff - never before have I been so humbled by the trained eyes of experienced critter-finders - Martin & Joe really shined.  Yes, I’ll say it again - my staff are the best critter-finders on Earth.

So seriously, why does the diving community not talk about this place?  Is it because there are no dive operators here, and weather is only conducive for liveaboards in Jan-March?  Is it because its so far from any civilization that people are scared?  Who knows?  But I’m making it my personal mission to inform the world about the bounty and bonanza awaiting here.  The charter starts in Rabaul, and before any diving starts, I move the boat to the first bay, over 100 miles down the coast.  Pegasus sea moths, wicked soft corals, mimic octopus, imperitor shrimp under every cucumber, schools of cardinalfish by the thousands - just awesome.  During the next night, I move the boat another hundred miles down the coast to the main archipelago where we stay for the next 6 days.

Here, there are several moorings and a variety of safe, sandy anchorages.  The main anchorage provides access to over 10 potential dive sites; some from the boat, some drifting to/from the boat, and some drifts via the chaseboat.  There’s plenty more reefs inside and outside the atoll, but the black or white sand muck sites are what gets people’s blood going.  Ornate ghost pipefish, huge mantis shrimp, soft coral cowries, cuttlefish, nudis beyond belief, and way way more.  The people of the area are pretty cool too.  We went to a school where they had never had outsider visitors before.  Amazing how they can still play a mean game of soccer - and I don’t care if they are little 8-14 year-olds; I show no mercy!  But what cool people they are, and getting the warm reception into their dirt-floor schools is just amazing.  They teach all sorts of good lesson plans like English, Math, and that wife beating is bad for your family.  Another cool little side-jaunt takes us up to the mouth of a river which terminates in a cold, freshwater spring.  After the 6 days, I move back up to the first bay for another day of diving, then I finish up the trip in Rabaul on a few wrecks.

So anyway, I usually try to be respectful of all people and try to be nice, but if you don’t come diving here with me next year, you’re just dumb!  No, seriously, its an okay choice for new divers, but I recommend it for anyone with 500+ dives, and for those in the “already seen it all” club (not because of tough/advanced conditions - its just that new divers might not be able to appreciate the awesomeness of this area).  Also those big into rare creatures, and of course anyone with a camera needs to get out here, like now!  Okay, enough with the talk - on to the pictures!!!