Kimbe Bay

Kimbe Bay opens on the northern coast of New Britain, deep water close inshore with a scatter of seamounts and patch reefs rising into it, and surveys have found something over half of the coral species of the Indo-Pacific within the bay, with a fish list of comparable richness, which puts it among the most biodiverse marine areas measured anywhere. Dives work the seamounts, Bradford Shoals, Inglis Shoal and others, with soft coral, barracuda, sharks and pelagics on the outer sites and muck diving inshore. Oil palm covers much of the coastal plain behind, and run-off from it is the main pressure on the reefs. Dive resorts operate around the bay.

What you actually see

• The seamounts - the patch reefs rising from deep water in the bay.
• Coral diversity - the exceptional number of species on the reefs.
• Pelagics and sharks - the larger fish on the outer sites.
• The bay setting - the volcanoes and oil palm plain behind the shore.

When to go

April to November for the calmest conditions and best visibility; the northwest season from December to March brings rougher water. Diving runs year round with variable clarity.

Honest expectations

Diving here is expensive and organised through a small number of resorts. Run-off from oil palm has affected inshore reefs. Flights to Hoskins connect through Port Moresby and can be disrupted. Facilities outside the resorts are limited.

Nearby

Mount Ulawun rises east along the coast; Kimbe town is on the bay.