by Richard | Jan 15, 2021
New Ireland & New Hanover PNG
October 2023
Visit Papua New Guinea’s Remote New Hanover & New Ireland
Join one of our back to back 10 night expeditions aboard Walindi Resort’s brand new MV Oceania
Join one of Richard and Wendy’s ‘Our Beloved Seas’ expeditions to this very special area of Papua New Guinea
TRIP ONE: Rabaul to Kavieng (via West New Ireland)
1-11th October 2023
FULL – Contact us for details
TRIP TWO: Kavieng to Rabaul (via East New Ireland)
13-23rd October 2023
FULL – Contact us for waitlist
Rich first visited this remote corner of the world in 1999, and it had a profound influence over his future diving. Although he didn’t see them himself, he first heard of pygmy seahorses during this trip. He remembers outstanding shark action, schooling fish and wrecks. These two trips will have the added adventure of exploring the west coast of New Ireland on the first trip and the east coast on the second (weather permitting of course). These are set to be the trips of a lifetime. The influence of Pacific fauna on our sightings will be interesting to see.
* Although this is a remote location, recent updates in the airline routings have made it much more accessible than it used to be. Whilst you can easily fly through Australia, Wendy and Rich will be flying direct from Singapore to Port Moresby and connecting through to Air Niugini domestic to the direct Rabaul flight. What’s more, Air Niugini who do this international/domestic flight give 45kg allowance for economy tickets if you are a diver!
TRIP ONE
Trip start: 1st October 2023
Trip end: 11th October 2023
Prices start from: $6,000 including Nitrox and local Taxes
Availability: Full
Depart from: Rabaul
Return to: Kavieng
TRIP TWO
Trip start: 13th October 2023
Trip end: 23rd October 2023
Prices start from: $6,000 including Nitrox and local Taxes
Availability: Full
Depart from: Kavieng
Return to: Rabaul
We will be setting sail at the beginning of the first trip from Rabaul on the Papua New Guinean island of New Britain and up the west coast of New Ireland to circumnavigate New Hanover, before ending in Kavieng.
The second trip will be in reverse, but will have a little less time in New Hanover due to the planned routing down the east coast of New Ireland. This is the more exposed side of the island, and this is the correct time of year for this trip but weather conditions these days can be quite unpredicatble, so if needs be we may have to reroute.
Trip One: Green
Trip Two: Red
MV Oceania is the brand new vessel, completed in 2019, from the owners of PNG’s iconic Walindi Resort and MV Febrina. She can accommodate 16 guests in twin/double en suite accommodation. There are 3 queen-bed cabins and 5 twin shares.
MV Oceania
Food & Beverages (complementary wine with dinner – otherwise alcohol is not included)
8.5 days of Diving
Marine life talks by Dr Richard Smith
Return airport transfers
Light laundry
Exclusions:
Nitrox
Environmental and safety fees
Please contact us for prices
AMAZING! Richard is able to make scientific talks hugely entertaining . I learnt so much, and every dive after the talks I found myself on the hunt for the new critters I had just learnt all about. Brilliant!
Australia
The talks enhance the diving experience and encourage new interest outside the obviously spectacular! Friendly, approachable organisation
United Kingdom
by Richard | Jan 14, 2021
Indonesia: East Timor, Alor & More… November/December 2022
Explore the diversity of Indonesia from exotic East Timor, to Alor and Beyond
Aboard the luxurious Damai I, we’ll enjoy the range of Indonesia’s dives
Join Richard and Wendy’s ‘Our Beloved Seas‘ expeditions in the heart of the Coral Triangle
Trip 1: Kupang (East Timor) to Kalabahi (Alor)
23rd November – 3rd December 2022
Full – Contact us to join Waitlist
Trip 2: Kalabahi (Alor) to Labuan Bajo (Komodo)
4-14th December 2022
1 x Female Share & 1 x Male Share
Indonesia has a huge diversity of marine environments, and hence dive sites. During these two trips aboard the stunning Damai we will sail from Kupang in East Timor, Indonesia up the Pantar Strait, visiting some of our favourite dive sites at Beangabang, Pura Island and muck diving in the Kalabahi Strait. This area is full of many rare and endemic fishes, many of which have very rarely been recorded alive by scientists. We will enjoy a diversity of dives, from oceanic reefs, to muck dives and fringing reefs. Each area has its own community of animals and we will be searching for fishes endemic to each area we visit. Above waters, the scenery is out of this world. Volcanoes punctuate the horizon, making this a once in a life time trip to the edge of the world.
TRIP ONE
Trip start: 23rd November 2022
Trip end: 3rd December 2022
Prices start from: Please contact us.
Availability: Full – contact us for Waitlist
Depart from: Kupang
Return to: Kalabahi
TRIP TWO
Trip start: 4th December 2022
Trip end: 14th December 2022
Prices start from: Please contact us.
Availability: 1 x Female Share & 1 x Male Share
Depart from: Kalabahi
Return to: Labuan Bajo
Trip I:
We will visit some rarely dived areas around Kupang, in Indonesia’s East Timor. This time of year offers a chance to visit some remote and hard-to-access sites, as well as positioning us to also visit some of our favourite sites in all of Indonesia.
Trip II:
Again, this time of year is perfect to access other sites that are usually prohibited by exposure to large seas. We have had many of these on our radars for several years and given some of the other discoveries we’ve made in this region, the opportunities are huge! N.B We don’t plan to dive in the Komodo area on this trip, instead taking the time to make the most of the islands east of Komodo which we are very excited to explore.
MY DAMAI I was built in Tanjung Bira, South Sulawesi, by Pak Hadji Baso, the most prestigious builder in the area in 2009. The collaboration of traditional skills with years of experience in the Indonesian liveaboard diving industry has created a remarkable vessel.
MY DAMAI I have been designed to offer a personal service dedicated to small groups. With an overall length of 40 meters (130 feet) and a beam of over 8 meters (26 feet) the vessel has 7 staterooms with a choice of single cabins, twins, doubles or two spacious master cabins. With sizes ranging from 18 sq meters / 194 sq feet for the single cabin to 40 sq meters / 430 sq feet for the master cabin, all are furnished with either queen- or king-sized beds, en-suite toilets, and showers.
The vessel has been designed with three large deck areas for relaxing in sun or shade and enjoying rejuvenating massage and spa treatments. Specifically designed for divers, the vessel offers large dive stations with individual rinse tanks, a camera room with separate workstations, and an integrated 110v and 220v charging station for each photographer.
Trip I: Red
Trip II: Green
Inclusions:
Food & Beverages
Diving
Marine life talks by Dr Richard Smith
Airport transfers to meet Damai
Nitrox
Exclusions:
Port & Harbour Fees
Long Distance Fees
Airfares, both domestic and international
Spirits and wine (one serve of wine is provided with dinner)
Please contact us for prices
The talks enhance the diving experience and encourage new interest outside the obviously spectacular! Friendly, approachable organisation
United Kingdom
AMAZING! Richard is able to make scientific talks hugely entertaining . I learnt so much, and every dive after the talks I found myself on the hunt for the new critters I had just learnt all about. Brilliant!
Australia
by Richard | May 29, 2019
Fijian Exploration and Fantastic Diving aboard Nai’a
Choose between our two trips on Fiji’s Premier liveaboard
Join Richard and Wendy’s ‘Our Beloved Seas’ expedition in search of Fiji’s unique fishes
Fiji iconic Liveaboard adventure
Fijian exploration around the world famous Bligh Waters and beyond
Trip One: Bligh Waters – 10 nights
19-29th October 2024
1 x Cabin Available
Trip Two: Special Lau Group Charter – 11 nights
29th October – 9th November 2024
FULL – Contact us for Waitlist
Wendy and Richard have had many connections with Fiji over the years. Wendy lived in Fiji as a teenager and even learned to dive there. Richard has made several visits to the islands to dive, but also worked as a marine conservationist for a project based in the islands several years ago.
This time, with their charters of Nai’a they will be able to explore further afield and hunt for those elusive endemics and stunning reefs. They have chosen to dive with Nai’a, the nation’s most iconic and long-standing liveaboard. The first charter is a slightly longer 10 night trip out to the rarely visited and off the beaten path Lau Group with 57 islets to the east of Vitu Levu. The second, 9 night, trip will be more centrally based around the Bligh Waters and beyond. We’ll have any of Fiji’s endemic fishes on our radar. Particularly for Richard, Marjorie’s fairy wrasse and an undescribed syngnathid are musts!
TRIP ONE: Bligh Waters – 10 nights
Trip start: 19th October 2024
Trip end: 29th October 2024
Prices start from: US$ 6250
Availability: 1 x Cabin Available
Depart from: Nadi
Return to: Nadi
TRIP TWO: Special Lau Group Charter – 11 nights
Trip start: 29th October 2024
Trip end: 9th November 2024
Prices start from: US$ 5200
Availability: Full – contact us for waitlist
Depart from: Nadi
Return to: Nadi
We have two fantastic itineraries aboard the Nai’a liveaboard. The first trip, 10 nights, will take in the central islands and the world famous Bligh Water between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu over nine nights. The second, 11 nights long, will explore the Lau Group of Islands to the east of Viti Levu. These off the beaten path islands are very rarely visited and dived, so we will look forward to exploring them with the region’s most knowledgeable crew. Both will of course have stunning reefs and fascinating indigenous species that we shall be hunting for.
Designed and built in Holland by the world’s finest steel ship craftsmen, NAI’A is 120ft long and 30ft wide with nine passenger staterooms and room for 14 crew. A solid expeditionary ship, she has the range and stability to sail the far reaches of the Pacific and has travelled from her base in Fiji to Vanuatu and New Caledonia, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu, Funafuti and the Phoenix Islands in Kiribati.
NAI’A has accommodation for 18 passengers in 9 air-conditioned staterooms with private ensuite heads. All the staterooms were entirely rebuilt in 2010 and are larger than those on most dive vessels with plenty of stowage for gear. They are bright, airy, and comfortable and have both 110v and 220v power.
Food & Beverages
Diving
Land tours
Marine life talks by Dr Richard Smith
Transfers from Nadi Airport
Prices start from $5200 per person – please contact us for details
AMAZING! Richard is able to make scientific talks hugely entertaining . I learnt so much, and every dive after the talks I found myself on the hunt for the new critters I had just learnt all about. Brilliant!
Australia
The talks enhance the diving experience and encourage new interest outside the obviously spectacular! Friendly, approachable organisation
United Kingdom
