Papua New Guinea’s Milne Bay has lots of lovely reefs to explore, but right beside them are some lesser known spots, which offer exceptional muck and rubble dives, and which host an incredible array of all sorts of small creatures. If you’re looking for a way to enjoy more bottom time, in easy conditions and with plenty of great photo ops, then head out to Milne Bay! Let’s take a look at just a few of the area’s marvelous muck dives.
Dinah’s Beach - Papua New Guinea Dive Sites
Located right next door to Deacon’s Reef, a black sandy beach that looks a bit barren, leads to an incredible muck dive. Named for Dinah Halstead of Telita, who co-owns the beach with her husband, Bob, the area features rotting tree trunks, heaps of coral rubble, and lots of empty seashells, in just ten to thirty feet of water.
Here, you can find all sorts of octopus and shrimp, crabs, and nudibranchs, plus some fish and creatures that can be hard to find elsewhere, including pygmy lionfish, cockatoo waspfish, and whimsical mantis shrimp. Besides these intriguing inhabitants, you will see loads of clownfish living in colorful anemones, as well as a few stray reef fish and some brilliant Spanish dancers.
Observation Point - Papua New Guinea Dive Sites
A small village with a curving beach that is enclosed on either end by small reefs makes Observation Point scenic and perfect for a muck dive. During the day, children play on the beach, while fishermen come and go. Once the sun sets, the underwater inhabitants here really come to life! With sandy slopes that extend to 100 feet below the surface, the area is home to snake eels, star gazers, cuttlefish and octopus, strange mimic octopus, Bugs Bunny scorpionfish, fire urchins, coleman shrimp, and more.
Atop the small reefs, which are very close to shore, brilliantly colored mandarinfish, gobies, and other small reef fish hide inside giant elephant ear sponges. If you are lucky, you’ll even see the mandarinfish mating. Look for juvenile catfish and anemones filled with clownfish, plus razorfish and ghost pipefish. With plenty to see in as little as two or three feet of water, this site is exceptional for all divers!
Laudi - Papua New Guinea Dive Sites
While some of the creatures that inhabit Laudi, like octopus, cuttlefish, mantis shrimp, mandarinfish, and seahorses might make you think that this is strictly a muck dive, there are some surprising visitors. Here, you may encounter hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and rays, and you can even take your turn hovering over a cleaning station, where you will receive the attention of the fish and shrimp that operate them.
Look for blue ribbon eels, lionfish, lots of nudibranchs, and frogfish as you enjoy the clear water and wonderful underwater ambience that Laudi provides.
Diving in Papua New Guinea is always exceptional, and while you might be thinking more about the spectacular reefs than some of these little out of the way places as you plan your vacation, these wonderful muck dives are a great way to start things off, and they make fantastic second or third dives, too!