This is a typical example of the Milne Bay Exploration itinerary. The schedule is subject to change according to prevailing weather conditions and is only given as a example of what you would usually encounter during your holiday.

Day 1
Depending on your flight arrangements, you may require an overnight en route or in Port Moresby prior to the trip. The final leg of your journey takes you to Alotua, the provincial capital of Milne Bay. You will be met at the airport and taken to the boat. The boat normally departs from harbour around 14:00. Your check dive is then made that afternoon before relaxing for the evening.

Day 2
Leaving the mainland behind you, start the diving as you mean to go on. With up to 5 dives a day planned, jump in at East Cape. Sullians Patches, Banana Bommie and Cobb's Cliff are all excellent dives to start the week. The corals on these reefs are prolific and good hideouts for macro life but also batfish, bass and jacks. Observations Point is a muck dive close to shore. Mandarin fish, baby cuttlefish, mimic octopus and star gazers are all found here. Conditions permitting, there will be a night dive after dinner.

Day 3
Heading south the Samuari Islands the boat will focus on the discovered and undiscovered dive sites around this island chain. Stay around Rogeia Island or head towards Sariba Island. Both of these locations are bursting with corals and rich marine life. Deka Deka Island is just a bit further south and if your luck is in, you will find big groups of mobula. This is also a good area for the dougong. These are rare creatures and this is one of the few habitats left where you will find them wild so keep your eyes peeled all around here. Up to 4 day dives and a night dive will be spent here.

Day 4
Remaining in the Samuari Islands area, the big dives await. The Washing Machine is a super fast drift dive. Giants at Home is one of the best dives of the week and a manta cleaning station. This shallow site attracts huge manta that really seem to enjoy bubbles massaging their bellies! The Samurai Pier is home to a big family of bat fish and catfish. Dive in the Wharf for pipefish heaven! Depending on conditions there is a night dive after dinner.

Day 5
Head to the western isles and you come to Basilaki Island. Here you can find the wreckage of the P38 Lightning aircraft. The seabed is flat sands and the twin hulled fighter remains intact. Anemones and large corals cluster on the wreckage. Spend the remainder of the day around the island, with the chance to go ashore to join a sing sing ceremony.

Day 6
The boat will start the journey north and the focus here is Nuakata Island. There are numerous reef dives in this area and it is known to as the jewel of Milne Bay, not least for the picture perfect scenery around the island. Black and Silver, Trish's bommie (especially good for macro life) and Bob's Bommie boast huge schools of fish but watch out for the grey reef sharks and eagle rays that also cruise the area.

Day 7
Stay around Nuakata for another full day's diving. Boirama Reef attracts pelagics so is a good place to head for the morning's adrenalin rush. Tunnel Reef, Jason's Pier and Peer's Reef will then be on the agenda for the rest of the day. These are pristine reef systems and the hard corals in particular will blow you away. These really do live up to the nickname "rain forest of the sea", attracting more fish species on a single site than we could ever list! Depending on the conditions, a night dive will wrap up the day.

Day 8
Cruise the north coast of the Bay, stopping to dive at Sponge Heaven, which not only is good for sponges but also pelagics such as reef sharks and tuna. Pelagic Point is a must dive and look down as there are almost always reef sharks in the deep. Barracuda, trevally and sea bass also throng. Michelis Reef is a totally different dive - here the weaving topography is the star of the show with swim throughs and gorgonians. Little China is a shallow pinnacle with what must be thousands of smaller fish living on it. The giant clams are also impressive.

Day 9
Save the best for the last day's diving! Deacon's reef is for many divers simply one of the world best reef dives and is well worth more than one go. There is a row of massive coral towers rising up from over 30m. Swim through staghorns, lettuce corals and delicate coral fingers. Sweetlips and big eyes hide under the plate corals. Gobies, crowries and flatworms are just some of the macro life here. Mantis shrimp and leaf scorpion fish tuck themselves away so look closely. Dinah's fan, an enormous 3m wide seafan, waits in the shallows with black sponges laced through the base. Larger fish do cruise into the shallows here too. Right next door is Dinah's Beach and is the very definition of a muck dive with blue ribbon eels, sea horses and flamboyant cuttlefish being just some of the top spots. The final night dive follows dinner.

Day 10
Your final last 2 dives are made in the morning before the boat heads back in. You will stop at the Tawali resort to spend some time ashore. You can relax in the resort or take an excursion to the nearby skull caves (local charges apply). The Captain invites you to a cocktail party at 17:30 followed by dinner in the resort. The boat docks for the final time in Alotau in the evening.

Day 11
After breakfast on board you will disembark around 8:00 and make your onward journey home.

If you would like to add an extension, combine this with another product or tweak the itinerary give us a call so we can discuss your dream diving holiday.

Photos

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