Diving Madang, Manus - Dive Madang, Manus - Scuba Diving Papua New Guinea (PNG)

Madang is of special attraction to divers who come for the variety of dive sites available. Very few places in the world possess dive locations close to shore which include wrecks, reefs, shark diving, drift diving and shallow lagoons. 100 years ago Madang was a malaria infested swamp. The German colonialists set up headquarters and drained the area. This was the start of one of the most beautiful towns in the South Pacific.

Madang offers a wide range of easily accessible dive sites and is also the prime location from which to access the remote outer islands and reefs with live aboards. These reefs are rarely visited by divers and provide spellbinding underwater action with superb visibility and prolific fish life.

Land based or live aboard, we reckon Madang offers a lot of good diving for both novice and experienced divers. The dive resorts are the right choice for novice divers, while the live aboards are suitable for experienced divers. Diving is offered all year round. The dryer months are July to September. November to May is the rainy season with thunderstorms. The water temperature is usually around 28 - 30 degrees C (82 - 84 F).

Manus Island is very far away from the PNG mainland. It is a very beautiful island, but hardly developed for toursim. However, there are a few options to get there by live aboard boat. Manus has some nearby islands which are fantastic for diving.

How To Get There

Madang is located on the north coast of PNG, a 60 minute flight from Port Moresby. Air Niugini operates two daily flights from Port Moresby on Fokker F28 Jet services.

Madang is also the departure point for dive trips in the Manus area.

Diving

Live aboard and land based dive holidays are possible. The close radius of the day dive operation to Madang allows for short boat rides to plenty of good dive sites. Jais Aben, 20 km north of Madang proper has an excellent PADI centre which offers diving and training not only for guest of the resort, but also other dive enthusiasts.

A live aboard trip gives you the advantage of diving at those dive sites that are further away from Madang and not readily accessible on day trips (Hansa Bay and Bagabag Island for example).
Dives comprise of a mixture of spectacular drop-offs, drift-dives and remarkably intact wrecks, including World War II American and Japanese fighter planes and merchant ships!

Some itineraries go to Long and Crown Island or even as far north as Purdy Islands, close to Manus Islands.
The Purdy Islands are idyllic and are about three-quarters of the way to Manus from Madang. They consist of 4 islands; Rat, Bat, Mouse and Mole islands. They are uninhabited with pure white sandy beaches and palm trees.

Mitchell B25 Bomber: A completely intact aircraft wreck of a B 25 is situated in Madang harbour. After 50 years it's overgrown with colourful corals. However, you can still identify some instruments in the cockpit and see some ammunition on the ground. (Where you leave it as is!)
Magic Passage: This is an ideal place for drift diving! Float effortlessly along the reef walls together with schools of barracudas, jacks and sweetlips past huge soft corals and gorgonians.
Pig Island & Barracuda Point: Two great spots to see big fish and the occasional turtles. There are big schools of barracudas during currents, really impressive.
Planet Rock: This is a schooling place for hammerhead sharks. The coral pinnacle rises from very deep to about 10m below surface. The changing currents attract huge predators and divers alike! Corals, invertebrates (for example many species of nudibranchs) and many kinds of critters are well represented on many of Madang's dive sites. Macro photographers will love Madang.

Dive sites visited by live aboard vessels:

The Boston: An American mine sweeper which sunk during mine clearing operations just after WW II. This is a spectacular wreck dive. She is sitting aground in 30 to 40 m. You can dive the bridge and the engine room.
Hansa Bay: Is further up north and offers some of the best shallow water wreck dives in PNG. You still see guns pointed towards the sky where they were last used to fend off the attacking airplanes. Coral growth is spectacular! However, diving here is limited from May to November. During the rainy season, the large rivers which run into the sea close to Hansa Bay empty into the bay, which affects the visibility badly.
Bagabag, Crown and Long Islands: Are all volcanic Islands which have fantastic fringing reefs full of pelagic species, for example hammerheads and sometimes even tiger sharks.
Purdy Islands/Manus: Absolutely remote diving. The reefs on the outer walls of the islands are sheer drop-offs with beautiful soft and hard corals.
Currents with a lot of action: Huge nurse sharks, reef sharks, manta rays, big schools of barracudas (200 and more) and the usual array of reef fish. The area has amazing visibility with 40 meters and more. The expected diving in these areas should offer strong current and fish action in the many channels between the Huon Gulf and the Bismarck Sea. A special attraction and a major reason to offer this itinerary are frequent sightings of migrating sperm whales during July/ August/ September.

Madang has a good variety of restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, banks and an excellent golf course. The local market offers a big display of traditional art such as carvings from the Sepik River or the traditional woven bags (the bilum). Shells and tropical fruit and vegetable contribute to the colourful atmosphere. The market is the women's place.

The German cemetery is adjacent to the markets. The old stones are reminders of the past. You should also visit the Madang Cultural Centre to get an idea of the different cultures in PNG. Or visit one of the surrounding villages and get an idea of daily life in rural PNG.

Madang is a good place to hire a car and drive along the highway to make your own discoveries. Alexishafen is located 40 km north of Madang. It's an old missionary station situated in one of the prettiest bays we have ever seen. It's an absolute must to go there and have a chat with the people.

Trekking with a local guide through the nearby mountain to the hot springs and remote rainforest villages can also be organised for a day. Or take a four day guided hike through pristine landscapes from Madang to the Eastern Highland town of Goroka. (The other way round is preferable as it is down hill!)

The Melanesian Discoverer offers multi-day sightseeing cruises up the majestic Sepik River. Here you can get first hand experience of the famous carving cultures along this river.