Kavieng

ABOVE THE WATER

A 90 minute flight from Port Moresby, Kavieng is situated at the northern end of New Ireland and is the provinces capital. New Ireland is an idyllic South Pacific province that lies well off the coast of mainland Papua New Guinea and forms part of the Bismarck Archipelago. . In WWII it was occupied by the Japanese, and was almost completely destroyed by the time the Allied forces took over in 1945. As a result, wartime relics are common and one of the main diving drawcards is the large number of sunken seaplanes.

Kavieng operates in island time, and offers many fantastic cultural experiences including the fisheries wharf and bustling markets. It is the perfect destination from to base your diving or island hopping from with small island paradises such as Nusa Lik and Lavongai (New Hanover) a short boat ride away. Find yourself diving, snorkelling, fishing, canoeing, golfing, cycling and more whilst staying in this beautiful part of Papua New Guinea. From November to April, Kavieng also has excellent surfing opportunities and a local surf club manages the 9 breaks with only 20 visiting surfers per day, guaranteeing uncrowded waves.

BELOW THE WATER

The numerous passages and islands between Kavieng, the Northern tip of New Ireland and New Hanover make for some of the most pristine, diverse and exciting diving in Papua New Guinea. Diving in Kavieng will present the incredible thrill of close big pelagic encounters as well as the relaxing drift dives along plunging walls encrusted in colourful corals and fans. You can explore a myriad of World War II wrecks, discover a multitude of macro critters on inshore and house reef muck dives, photograph schooling fish and more. Kavieng is also home to a wide system of caves. The region is mostly unexplored and expeditions continue to map the area. Qualified cave divers can join these expeditions, and snorkellers can swim in the Pakawala sinkhole. The water temperature is consistently tropical all year around, rarely dropping below 28 degrees.

One of Kavieng’s signature dive sites is Albatross Passage, where you can have close and personal encounters with large pelagic animals. The visibility is 30+ metres and you can hook off with a reef hook and just enjoy the show without effort. Just about anything can turn up, including eagle rays, manta rays, schools of barracuda and even tiger sharks have been seen here. Due to the strong currents, this must be timed correctly with the tides.

Accommodation In Kavieng