Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea boasts a rich history and culture, with diverse marine species in its waters, from fascinating nudibranchs, reef fishes and flamboyant cuttlefish to sea turtles, sharks, rays and dolphins. Pierre Constant recounts his adventures there.
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Facing the great blue yonder of the Solomon Sea, Milne Bay opens eastwards like the gaping jaws of a giant saltwater crocodile. Located at the southeastern end of the island of New Guinea, at 10°22’00” S latitude and 150°30’00” E longitude, it has a maximum length of 35km, a maximum width of 15km and a surface area of 525km2. The bay is surrounded to the north and to the south by the heavily wooded Stirling Range. The narrow coastal strip on the northern shore is soggy, with sago and mangrove swamps.
Milne Bay is part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea, covering a land area of 14,345km2 and 252,990km2 of sea, with more than 600 islands, including the D’Entrecasteaux Islands, the Trobriand Islands, Woodlark Island, Samarai, Kwato, Deka Deka, the Engineer Islands and the Louisiade Archipelago. The population of about 300,000 speaks 48 languages and belongs to the eastern Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language group. The region is referred to as the Massim, a term originating from Misima Island. Massim societies are characterised by matrilinear descent, sophisticated mortuary sequences and complex ritual exchanges involving the Kula Ring.
Geology
The Papua New Guinea-Solomon Islands region of the western Pacific displays an evolving mosaic of microplates between the major Australian and Pacific plates, which are obliquely converging at 11cm per year. The Solomon Plate is in subduction under the islands of New Britain and Bougainville, respectively, to the northwest and northeast, at the New Britain Trench. The Woodlark Plate is in subduction northeast under the New Georgia Group of the Solomons. The Australian Plate is subducting under Guadalcanal and San Cristobal Islands in the Solomon Islands. North of Milne Bay, the D’Entrecasteaux Islands—Goodenough, Dobu, Fergusson and Misima—are all volcanic, resulting from plate tectonics.
Historical expeditions
Born in Spanish Galicia ca. 1565, Luís Vaz de Torres was a captain in the navy of the Spanish Crown. He became commander of the San Pedrico, one of three ships in a Pacific expedition proposed by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós to search for Terra Australis.
Leaving Callao in Peru on 21 December 1605, the three ships reached Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides), which was named La Australia del Espiritu Santo. Putting to sea again to explore the coastline, Torres was separated from the two other ships, as a mutiny occurred on Queiró’s ship after bad weather.
Following sealed orders from the Viceroy of Peru, the San Pedrico, under Torres’ command, set sail for Manila and reached the island of Tagula in the Louisiade Archipelago, southeast of New Guinea. Two months later, the expedition discovered Milne Bay and Basilaki Island, which was named Tierra de Buenaventura.
Taking possession of the land for Spain in July 1606, the Spanish were in close and violent contact with the indigenous islanders and recorded as having taken 20 prisoners. Torres continued along the south coast of New Guinea into the Gulf of Papua, exploring and charting the coastline. Navigating the 150km strait that now bears his name, he made his way north of the Ceram and Misool islands to enter the Halmahera Sea.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, French navigators explored New Guinea’s southeast region. Although it was officially discovered by the Spaniard Luís Vaz de Torres in 1606, Louis Antoine de Bougainville visited in 1768 and named the Louisiade Archipelago after Louis XV, the King of France. In 1793, aboard the French ship Espérance, Antoine Bruni d’Entrecasteaux discovered the islands (Goodenough, Fergusson and Normanby) that now bear his name, as well as the Trobriand Islands, which were given the name of his first lieutenant, Denis de Trobriand.
Role in WWII
In the spring of 1942, during the Pacific War, the Imperial Japanese army had advanced across most of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, establishing bases in Manus, Kavieng and Rabaul. In late August, they planned an attack on Port Moresby with the clear intention of invading Australia.
The Japanese naval operation had been defeated in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May, but a new attempt at capturing Port Moresby was anticipated. American General Douglas MacArthur decided to build air bases to protect the town. Milne Bay, to the east, proved to be a suitable site in June and was given the codename “Fall River”. Malaria was known to be endemic in the region, and men were badly affected by the disease.
In July, Kittyhawk fighter planes from the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) arrived. Japanese aircraft soon discovered the Allied presence in Milne Bay. The commander of the Japanese XVII Army requested that Vice Admiral Mikawa’s 8th Fleet capture the new base at Milne Bay. Codenamed Operation RE, the attack was scheduled for mid-August.
The Japanese landing force initially had the advantage of possessing two Type 95 light tanks, but these became marooned in the mud and were abandoned. The Allies had the strategic advantage of possessing superior intelligence about the Japanese plans and knew of an imminent attack towards the end of August. Air patrols were stepped up, and air strikes were ordered against the Japanese airfields at Buna on 24 and 25 August. The Japanese initiated their advance on 26 August, and a convoy landed troops and supplies at Waga Waga three days later.
The Australian counterattack occurred on 31 August, with the help of seven Kittyhawks, attacking the Japanese headquarters around Waga Waga. By 7 September, the Japanese forces had been repelled and evacuated. The Battle of Milne Bay (25 August to 7 September) constitutes the first major “full-scale” defeat on land for the Japanese, who were forced to fall back to the northern coast of New Guinea.
Getting there
As a diver travelling with Air Niugini from outside Papua New Guinea, either from Australia or the Philippines, you are allowed 30kg of luggage, plus an extra 15kg for dive equipment. I had purchased my tickets a few months back, but unfortunately, due to a bug on the Air Niugini website, I was unable to book my return flight from Port Moresby to Alotau together with my international ticket out of Sydney. Consequently, my allowance was only 16kg of luggage for the domestic sector.
As I had feared, this issue arose at the check-in counter at Port Moresby International Airport. The “system” did not recognise my 30kg allowance since I had a separate domestic ticket. Fighting for my right to the allowance, I explained the situation convincingly, and the manager was called. Eventually, I was not charged an excess luggage fee.
However, when I showed up at the entrance to the waiting area at the gate, boarding pass in hand, the security guard frowned at me: “Sir, you are only allowed one piece of hand luggage of 7kg, and you have three pieces. I cannot permit that!”
The truth is that my hand luggage weighed a total of 27kg. With a miserable face, I made my case for the extra allowance for my underwater photographic equipment, which was “very fragile”, as well as my land camera bag and a small backpack with a laptop computer, documents and other valuables. After much arguing, the duty manager came over.
I had to show them the contents of my bags and the veracity of my claim. I even displayed on my laptop an article I wrote about diving Kimbe Bay, which had been published three years earlier. They marvelled at the photos and saw that I was promoting Papua New Guinea abroad. Like a VIP, I was taken straight to the plane with an escort because the flight attendant had to be briefed on the matter. I landed in my seat with a sigh of relief.
After the 35-minute flight to Alotau, I was met by a shuttle minibus for a transfer to the Driftwood Resort on the outskirts of town. Three other divers on board—two Australians and one American—were later joined by an Australian couple, an American couple, two Danish ladies and two Finns—a truly cosmopolitan group of 12 people, including myself, bound for a 10-day cruise around the Greater Milne Bay.
The liveaboard
We did not board the ship until mid-afternoon as it was slowly approaching the bay. The Oceania was a 27m-long catamaran with a width of 9 metres. It was built in Western Australia in 2001 and refurbished in 2018-19. The vessel was powered by a CAT 3306 engine and had a cruising speed of 7.5 to 8 knots. It had a passenger capacity of 16, with eight comfortable cabins (three queen and four twin), a spacious dining lounge, a dive station at the stern and panoramic views from the sundeck on top.
The crew were from Papua New Guinea and included three kitchen staff: Leonie, the chef, and her two assistants. The four dive guides—Andrew, Willie, Junior and Valentine—were all experienced. I had previously dived with Andrew at Walindi in 2022. The ownership of MV Oceania was shared by three partners: Cheyne Benjamin, the owner of Walindi Dive Resort in West New Britain; Alan Raabe, the owner of the liveaboard MV Febrina; and Dan Johnson, the Australian captain of the Oceania.
Captain Dan was a jovial and convivial fellow with a raucous voice and a deep, thundering laugh. Judging by the satisfied repeat customers, he had the full approval of the Australians for his professionalism, experience and cheerful sense of humour, or “Aussie style”, which meant putting everyone at ease right from the start. Nevertheless, he carefully checked everyone’s dive certification, had guests sign the liability release and medical forms, and would not let anyone dive with nitrox unless they showed him proof of nitrox certification.
Nitrox was optional on board for an additional fee of US$270 per trip, plus GST. There was also an environmental and safety fee of US$9 per night, plus 10% GST. The liveaboard offered four dives per day: two morning dives, one afternoon dive and one night dive—except on the last day, which had two morning dives only.
Diving
Sullivan’s Patch. Following the coastline, the liveaboard sailed eastwards in the early morning, reaching Milne Bay at daybreak. The first dive was scheduled for 6:30 a.m. before a hot breakfast. The dive site was a shallow reef covered in blue staghorn coral, with a drop-off on the north side. Unfortunately, there was poor visibility in the 15-20m column, but below this depth, it began to clear. Schools of yellowtail fusiliers, spotted oceanic triggerfish (Canthidermis maculatus), midnight snappers and red pinjalo (Pinjalo lewisi) streamed by. Some big orange sponges were noticeable. An attractive blue-girdled angelfish (Pomacanthus navarchus) had me in vain pursuit.
Wahoo Point. Rounding New Guinea’s East Cape, we entered the Solomon Sea and followed the north coast for a while. Part of Tawali Dive Resort’s marine area, Wahoo Point, was our next port of call. It was a wall dive with elephant ear sponges (Ianthella basta), ranging in colour from sulphur yellow to purple. The Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish (Chaetodon ulietensis) was a pleasant sight, and so was a striped boxfish (Ostracion solorensis). Red whip corals (Ellisella sp.) swayed in the gentle current along the wall. Dive guide Junior pointed out a superb rosy spindle cowrie (Phenacovolva rosea) on one of the branches. Exquisite hard corals (Turbinaria reniformis) that were yellowish-white and vase-shaped attracted my close attention.
Tawali’s jetty. A night dive was planned for 6 p.m., but it turned out to be rather disappointing. There was not much to see besides lots of spotfin lionfish (Pterois antennata) and a flower sea urchin (Toxopneustes pileolus).
Deacon’s Reef. The following day, heading further west, we reached this iconic site. It was a wall dive near the coast, fringed by the rainforest, with overhangs and small caves. There were lots of gorgonians and pretty soft corals (Dendronephthya sp.). I encountered the orange and white lyretail hogfish (Bodianus anthioides), a school of purple anthias (Pseudanthias tuka), a painted lobster and a lovely orange-rimmed juvenile pinnate batfish (Platax pinnatus). The pink skunk anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) in their bright pink magnificent anemone always made one smile.
Lawadi was a renowned muck dive on volcanic black sand and silt, with scoriae spread about and scattered bommies. A lively patch of staghorn coral hosted a colony of ringtail cardinalfish (Apogon aureus), hovering motionless between the branches, together with pastel green damselfish. The main attraction was the number of carpet anemones with their collection of saddleback anemonefish (Amphiprion polymnus) with conspicuous white saddles on their black bodies and golden faces. These anemonefish were inquisitive about divers when it came to protecting their host anemone, fluttering about like butterflies.
Several sea cucumbers were seen on the sandy slope, such as the eye-spotted sea cucumber (Stichopus ocellatus), the blackspotted sea cucumber (Bohadschia graeffei), the sandfish (Holothuria scabra), which was pale brown with a creased body and black-tipped papillae, and the amberfish sea cucumber (Thelenota anax), which was loaf-like and square-shaped. Lifting my head towards the surface, I suddenly noticed a large cloud of small fish with a barracuda lurking below. Shortly before my safety stop, I fell upon a striking Ceratosoma tenue nudibranch of good size.
Back on board, I climbed onto the sun deck to watch the sunrise. The large island of Normanby was emerging from the clouds. After East Cape, we turned south at Boi Boi Waga Island (which means “boys canoe”). Suddenly, two spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) leapt out of the water on the starboard side. It was a joyful sight as the sun burst out brightly from behind the elevated island.
Tania’s Reef. At this bean-shaped reef, visibility was still poor, with lots of particles in the water. The top of the reef had broken staghorn corals on the sloping sides. Gorgonians and sea fans appeared down below. I came across a school of yellowfin goatfish (Mulloidichthys vanicolensis), semi-circle angelfish (Pomacanthus semicirculatus), some red snappers (Lutjanus bohar) and midnight snappers (Macolor macularis). Out into the blue, a school of yellowtail scads (Atule mate) flashed by. A hawksbill sea turtle escaped swiftly from the top of the reef.
Cobb’s Cliff was a wall dive around an elongated reef. Inquisitive rainbow runners came in for a quick look, then vanished. The squarespot anthias (Pseudanthias pleurotaenia), which was pink with a purple square on its side, was conspicuous and rather tame. A twinspot snapper (Lutjanus biguttatus) with three parallel bands of brown, orange and white stared at me with keen interest.
Boi Boi Waga Island, with its idyllic white sandy beach, turquoise blue waters and a jungle behind it, was deserted. With the current from the east, a drift dive was planned along the wall. Dive guide Willie found a huge banana nudibranch (Aegires minor), which was sulphur yellow with black lines. Ahead of the others and in search of big things in the blue, I ended up meeting a school of blue trevally (Carangoides ferdau) that encircled me briefly. Yellowtail and black-tipped fusiliers were omnipresent.
Cherie. In the early morning, the sky was dark. It was windy, and the sea surface was choppy. Reaching a location further south, the liveaboard anchored on a flat reef. The plan was to loop around a point underwater and return to the boat.
Fish life was prolific here. Against all odds, two grey reef sharks cruised by over the sandy bottom at depth. A school of slender unicornfish (Naso lopezi) was a fine surprise. Quite a few blackstriped angelfish (Genicanthus lamarck) appeared, as well as a pretty orange-banded coralfish (Coradion chrysozonus). With a black arc behind the gills and a white ring on the tail, the Fowler’s surgeonfish (Acanthurus fowleri) was particularly beautiful.
Nuakata Island. After an uneventful dive at Little China, we had a muck dive at Nuakata Island. Dive guide Andrew showed me a ravishing ocellated flounder (Pseudorhombus dupliciocellatus), which I had never seen before. It was whitish cream in colour and had three double-eyed black spots. This species has only been identified in the last 10 years.
Upon surfacing, I saw that lots of islanders in outrigger canoes had gathered at the back of the catamaran to trade fruit and vegetables for commodities such as rice, soap, instant noodle soup packs and other items. Some wide-eyed local children were enjoying the show of white people coming out of the water with tanks on their backs.
The next day, I got out of bed at 4:45 a.m. when the boat started its engine to make its way to the Shortland Islands. On the upper deck, the sky was full of stars, and the constellation of Scorpio was in sight. I took in the light of the sunrise among the clouds on the horizon. A green beam seemed to strike through it.
Two hours later, we had a dive along a ridge of the reef, which was full of large sea fans, gorgonians and striking Dendronephthya sp. soft corals, with a coral garden on the reef flat. There were some teira batfish (Platax teira), schools of double-lined fusiliers, two six-banded angelfish (Pomacanthus sexstriatus) and lots of parrotfish species.
Shortland Island was small, round-shaped and covered in jungle, with a ring of white sand and turquoise blue waters. Stretching long from east to west under some cotton-like clouds, the huge island of Basilaki was mountainous. The interior rose to 505m at Mount Koyasina.
Hakalihi Island, also known as Grant Island, was surrounded by a ring of white sand and glittered like a perfect Robinson Crusoe Island. The reefs were an enchantment of sea fans and gorgonians. However, before the end of the first dive, I became alarmed as my camera screen became foggy. I suspected the worst and later found out that water had entered the housing. The high temperature of the water, recently 31°C, was to blame—a definite threat to the reliability of the O-ring of the housing. Fortunately, my camera was in good condition after I did a proper cleaning and drying job.
Annoyingly, it happened again the following day. But on that dive, I met the breathtaking Roboastra gracilis nudibranch, which was slender and black with three blue plumes on its back and two blue rhinophores. It certainly made my day!
Waterman’s Ridge was named after the late American underwater photographer Stan Waterman. Visibility at this site, southeast of Hakalihi, was good today. A remarkable arch with sea fans and gorgonians was found at a depth of 28m, along with an orange-rimmed juvenile pinnate batfish. A bit further on, a roughsnout ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paegnius) drifted like a piece of algae over the sand.
P38F-5-LO Lightning. Close to Yamagogona Point on nearby Basilaki Island, this WWII fighter plane wreck was discovered by Bob Halstead in 2004. Built by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Burbank, California, it was a single-seat aircraft with a twin-piston engine, assigned to the 5th Air Force, 35th Fighter Group, on 17 September 1942. On 4 November, it was piloted by Second Lieutenant Richard T. Cella on a ferry flight to Milne Bay and Guadalcanal but was then recalled from Milne Bay to return to Port Moresby. On the way back, the left engine was feathered, and the plane ditched. Unhurt, the pilot returned to duty. The P38F had a twin-fuselage configuration and was armed with four .50-inch M2 Browning machine guns and one 20mm auto-cannon mounted in the nose. Needless to say, the visibility was very bad underwater, but I managed to get a few shots of the wreck.
Continuing onwards, the liveaboard moved south into the Kanamadawa (Fortescue) Strait, between Basilaki and Sideia islands and west to Gona Bara Bara Island—a so-called manta cleaning station—and Deka Deka Island, then north to historic Samarai Island, the old capital of Milne Bay. We had a few dives at Bottle Shop, under the old government jetty, and at the newer jetty of The Baths dive site. Both were muck dives rich in marine life and odd sorts of junk.
Bottle Shop was particularly atmospheric in the morning, with sunbeams shining through the rusty iron pillars covered in clusters of orange cup corals, gorgonians, green Tubastrea sp. coral, sponges and clams. I marvelled at a magnificent chromodoris (Chromodoris magnifica). Fellow diver Josh saw a tasselled wobbegong shark hiding under a metal sheet. Someone else glimpsed a spotted eagle ray. A very cool and tame flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) was seen dozing off on the muck slope at The Baths.
Topside excursions
A land visit to the village was compulsory for the passengers to stretch their legs and visit the pearl farm of an Australian old-timer. Partially abandoned with deserted colonial buildings and old rusty sheds in ruins, Samarai was a ghost town of sorts. Riddled by the ages, the jetty, while full of charm, seemed ready to dismantle. A stroll around helped me to get a feel for the place where I had once been before in 2006.
On the last day, the liveaboard returned to Milne Bay via the Kawanasausau (China) Strait and made it to Alotau in the afternoon. The passengers were invited to disembark for a night at the cosy Driftwood Lodge, a peaceful natural location on the waterfront.
Everybody was off to Port Moresby the following morning. But for old times’ sake, I chose to stay at the charming, ethnic Napatana Lodge in Alotau, with its very “laid-back” local vibe—so laid back, in fact, that they had even forgotten about my room reservation. “Em orait tasol” (“It’s alright, no worries”), they said. In Papua New Guinea, expect the unexpected! ■
Sources:
Allen G, Steene R, Humann P, Deloach N. 2015. Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific, 2nd edition. New World Publications.
Gosliner T, Valdes A, Behrens DW. 2015. Nudibranch & Sea Slug Identification: Indo-Pacific, 1st edition. New World Publications.
Humann P, DeLoach N. 2010. Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific, 1st edition. New World Publications.
Sealifebase.org
Wikipedia.org
