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Wreck Dives
There are even some great wreck dives. The best are a beautiful P38 Lightning
in 90 feet and the incredible B17 “Blackjack” which is in
145 feet of water. Both these aircraft were ditched and the wrecks are
upright and in excellent condition with the original guns still in place.
(Contributed by Jack Pearce of the Melbourne Diving Service Paradise Wreck Team 2002 - 2004) The B17 “Black Jack” is one of the best aircraft wreck dives in the world. Join us as we drop down onto this 4-engined bomber so well preserved that as it comes into view, you feel like you are flying toward an operational aircraft! Pop some air into the BC and just hang for a while. It is not often that you slow your descent to just take in an aerial view of a bomber that serenely sits on the bright coral rubble – history locked into place under the sea.
On the bottom, you see that the nose of the plane
has been punched in a touch: a legacy of the skilful US pilot who ditched
his plane when low on fuel and in stormy conditions. His approach and watery
landing were textbook stuff. The mergency landing was so close to shore
that the residents of Boga-Boga village were quickly on the scene to ferry
the airmen to shore. (The locals will happily retell the epic to you when
you visit them.) Move to the cockpit: you will see a shoal of bright brass
damselfish while some larger guardians swim around switch gear, gauges,cables
and controls. The seats are in place and you quite easily visualize the
pilot and co-pilot in the closing moments of this tough aeroplane’s
war history. They wrestle with the controls, and the nose first touch down
was just shallow enough for a gliding landing. Too steep and she would
have been lost.
The wings are vast in breadth and span.
The engines are firmly in place and you can examine the big radial motors
close up. The state of preservation is marvellous. Change the plugs and
spin the prop – it looks like she will start! As you move along
the main fuselage you see the ports where guns were fitted and as you
peer into the fuselage you find ammunition carriages and conveyors complete
with ammunition. The interior of the fuselage has many fixtures and fittings
still in place. Welcome to PNG’s maritime war museum!
Make your way to the stern and two surprises await you: first is
the sheer size of the tail and rudder assembly and then you tuck underneath and
spare a thought for the tail gunner perched in his dead-end dangerous hidey hole,
crouched over a twin barrelled 50 cal. You touch the turret. Then you rock the
barrels and discover that the bearings are still water tight, greased and the
turret swings freely in your hands. The barrels rise and fall without resistance!
This is an eerie and special wreck! Times up! And at 47m you need to work your
way up steadily. Another surprise: a wonderful and safe finish to this dive.
The line leads up to the very healthy shore reef of Boga-Boga. We readily station
our stops by reference to rocky outcrops and knobs of colourful coral as we move
up this attractive reef, ensuring a safe ascent
We watch anemone fish and other critters all the way up. No current,
great visibility. A couple of well-grown Maori wrasse keep us company
near the buoy as we check our gauges and break the surface. We will
be back for more of “Black Jack”! Black Jack was a seasoned
war veteran. Back aboard Paradise Sport, we enjoyed a video, which features
the return of the pilot to the village and the retelling of the warplane’s
amazing record of Activity. We felt like we were part of her story too:
another PNG privilege
Shark Dives Papua New Guinea is known as the Land of the Unexpected,
but its sea has a few surprises too, and all exciting for divers.
At Keast Reef and Peer’s Reef it is wise to keep one eye out in the
blue since every now and then monster fish come up from the deep including
hammerhead and tiger sharks, manta rays and whale sharks, pilot whales and
orcas, marlin and eagle rays. Basically, anything can happen.
Bommie Dives
Some of the most beautiful and lush Milne Bay reefs are small isolated “bommies” covered
with exuberant growths of soft and hard corals, sea fans and whips and magnificent
growths of black corals with abundant fish life. Creatures normally seen
include the lacy scorpion fish, epaulette sharks and turtles. Regular sites
are Banana Bommie, Black and Silver reef, Nuakata Bay Reef, Sanaroa Reef,
and Keast Reef.
There is a special privilege on a live-aboard: you get to drop onto the edge of continental shelves and sub-sea mountains. This is the big blue and Mike Ball Dive Expeditions gets you to the special spots. Mother nature loves habitat niches. Walls bring the substrate up from the deep ocean floor to within metres of the surface. These steep walls are festooned with colourful whips, gorgonians, soft corals, anemones and their exotic inhabitants And in the blue water that washes past this there are special encounters!
Patrolling the walls of Deacon’s Reef, Keast Reef, Peers Reef, Barbarian and Wong’s Reef you may see all the great pelagic species: barracuda, trevally, wahoo, dog tooth tuna, grey whaler and silvertip sharks as well as hammerheads.
Nautilus Dives
The nautilus is a living time capsule. This animal dates to the ancient Ordovician and Devonian times. The phrase living fossil is a fair call! They are molluscs but have not followed the cuttle or squid pathway. Evolution has allowed them to hang onto their niche: deep water and buoyancy specialists! So how do these ancient seafarers cope with the modern environment? They are the absolute masters of buoyancy and deep diving. They are capable of descending to great depths and rise at night to feed, avoid predators and head down deep again!
During the expedition a nautilus trap will be set to enable divers to photograph live nautilus... they are safely returned to deep water before being released.
Cultural Experiences
Papua New Guinea’s cultural diversity and richness, with its many fascinating customs, 800 different languages and colourful individuals will make your trip memorable. Cultural experiences may include: a walk through the rainforest to reach a Skull Cave; a visit to hot springs where boiling water and geysers produce a spectacular volcanic display; a wander through Boga Boga village’s many market stalls; a visit by local children from Bunama village who sing a repertoire of Papua New Guinea’s songs and a visit to Kwato Islands mission where spectacular views of China Straits can be seen.
Paradise Sport
Paradise Sport is Papua New Guineas newest and best-equipped liveaboard… adding ease and comfort to diving in one of the world’s most remote regions. Accommodations are twin or king, all with ocean views and ensuite facilities. Throw in unlimited diving, Nitrox diving, Solo diving, fascinating cultural experiences and 5 star service by professional, experienced and hospitable crew and you have the diving experience of a lifetime.
Length 30m (100ft) Beam 10m (33ft) Speed 15
knots Passengers average = 16 (22 max)
Crew – 12.
Sumptuous Meals
Enjoy a sumptuous variety of meals that has earned Paradise Sport an enviable reputation for catering excellence. Vegetarian and standard diets
are catered for with Australian and International menus using fresh local produce. Soft drinks are complimentary and Australian wines are served with dinner. Please advise if you have special dietary needs.
Paradise Sport Service
• Paradise Sport is Papua New Guinea’s newest, most luxurious liveaboard.
• Huge dive deck with large camera table and convenient entry/exit platforms.
• Twin hull’s reduce seasickness & maximize stability, space and privacy.
• Choose Twin or king size cabins with ocean views.
• Spacious: dining room; lounge; alfresco deck; and sundeck.
• Chef prepared meals and in- between meal snacks.
• Complimentary soft drinks and Australian wines (with dinner).
• Choice of hot beverage with your early morning wake-up call.
• BBQ and party night, wave skis, videos and library.
Diving service
• Exotic creature finding service.
• Solo diving as per Mike Ball Safe Solo System.
• Uncrowded dives sites choose between main vessel or tender dives.
• 2 Large inflatables for personalized dive service and shore excursions.
• Underwater photography and video service.
• On - board photo competition.
• Nitrox- $10 per fill or 20/day for entire expedition.
• PADI Advanced, Nitrox, Naturalist and Photo instruction
• Hot dive deck showers and warm towels after each dive.
You benefit from the industries best trained and qualified staff. The ‘Trip Director’ is specifically tasked to ensure you have great diving and a great time. Most guests prefer to plan and dive independently with their buddy. It is not our policy for all dives to be divemaster led. Guests who prefer more supervision are offered a combination of: complimentary orientation dives to enhance skills: a scheduled morning and afternoon guided dive and the opportunity to dive with our staff on an ad hoc basis.
Embark: - Friday 4pm, Alotau. Transfers
Disembark: - Friday 7am, Alotau. Transfers
10 Nights - unlimited diving
Embark : - Friday 4pm, Alotau. Transfers
Disembark: - Monday 7am, Alotau. Transfers
Expedition Summary
A typical expedition includes Nuakata Island, East Cape, the North coast and D'Entrecasteau Islands. Cruises may also include Basilaki Island to the southeast, Cape Vogel to the northwest. Paradise is waiting for you in Milne Bay! Here, we offer a spectacular combination of diverse diving and Paradise Sport’s unrivalled liveaboard service. Milne Bay is renowned for it’s extraordinary pristine reefs and exotic marine life. You will enjoy a superb mix of: wall dives; wrecks; nautilus dives; shark and exotic creature dives. Enriching the experience are cultural exchanges with isolated villages in tropical settings and calm night anchorages in picturesque bays.
MILNE BAY
Between the Coral Sea and the Solomon Sea lies a beautiful and intricate
chain of pristine volcanic
peaks, coral islands and reefs. The two seas surge back and forth causing
a frantic profusion of marine growth. Humans are few and live in harmony
with bountiful nature. Incredible creatures have evolved and recent scientific
studies show the marine biodiversity to be the highest ever measured.
This diver’s paradise is called Milne Bay Province, at the south- east
corner Papua New Guinea.
Milne Bay is special for the extraordinary richness
not only of its classic tropical reefs packed with the usual creatures that divers would expect to find, large and small, but of marine animals so unusual that many are new to science. An important reason for this, apart from the unpolluted and minimally exploited surroundings, is the great variety of habitats - and therefore dive sites.
There are classic coral walls, some sheltered almost all year round
from heavy seas; reef passes which capture the surging tides - and huge
numbers of feeding fishes; long barrier reefs and miniature atolls;
sandy beaches with delicate coral gardens, and quiet bays where sea
grasses hide sea horses, Panda Clownfish, frogfish, rare species of
garden eel, and the occasional dugong.
By studying a map of “PNG” it is easy to understand that Milne
Bay Province has more opportunities for diving than any other Province.
The dive sites are extraordinary...
A diver’s perspective can reach
from the macro to the magnificent. A trip report from the Trip Director
of Paradise Sport said “Diving
with 50 or so sharks at Keast Reef in 165’+ visibility.Harlequin
ghost pipefish at Kathy’s Corner, pygmy seahorses at the Ranch,
mandarin fish at Boirama Beach and majestic manta rays at the Cleaning Station... all this and more in Milne Bay." Wade Singleton
Exotic Creature Dives
Where else in the world can you find a beach which has
a cliff with overhanging trees and a 1000 foot drop-off visited
by cruising hammerheads? How about coral towers studded with green
tree corals, sea whips and giant sea fans in 10 feet of water?
Then a short swim away, a shallow coral and algae reef with a resident family
of octopus, dozens of lionfish of five different species, green and red mantis
shrimp, seven species of clownfish, ghost pipefish and a myriad other creatures?
This is Dinah’s Beach.
Can it get any better? Well, one early morning, divers saw a marlin cruising
around the boat - and they snuck into the water to spend 20 minutes snorkeling
with it. And then there was the time Brett Gillam did a quick change from macro
to wide-angle lens when a whale shark upset his photo schedule.
