Papua New Guinea is best diving destination in the world

Papua New Guinea is located in the coral triangle of marine biodiversity with the highest diversity of tropical fish and coral in the world.

PNG occupies the eastern portion of the island of New Guinea, the second largest island in the world.

Situated directly north of Australia, it consists of a mainland with some 600 islands, of which New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville are the largest.

PNG is recognised internationally as one of the best dive locations in the world with twice as many marine species as the waters of the Red Sea and up to 10 times as many as the Caribbean.

It has become known as an ‘underwater photographers’ paradise’ with many international award-winning photos being taken in PNG waters.

The country is surrounded by the Bismarck, Coral and Solomon seas whose constant movements feed and enrich the marine environment.

With 17,000 km of coastline and 45,000 sq km of reef systems, divers can enjoy minimal contact with other dive groups.

The immense diversity of sites include barrier reefs, coral walls, coral gardens, patch reefs, fringing reefs, sea grass beds, coral atolls and wrecks.

All dive operators offer dive instruction, scuba gear hire and a range of other services, with Nitrox offered by most operators.

Diving is possible all year round, the optimal season generally being from mid-April to mid-June and mid-September to mid-December.

Water temperature ranges from 26°C along the edge of the Coral Sea and up to 31°C in the Bismarck Sea, with visibility from 50 to 150 feet.

PNG has its own hyperbaric recompression facility located in Port Moresby.

The facility is situated within a private hospital and is operated and maintained to international standards by Hyperbaric Health Australia.

Further information about diving in PNG can be obtained from the PNG Dive website http://www.pngdive.com/.