Dive Review of
MV Golden Dawn in
Papua New Guinea/Wewak to Madang

California, British Columbia, Alaska, Baja, Revillagigedos, Cocos,
Galapagos, Belize, Bonaire, Palau, Chuuk, PNG (Milne Bay)

Dive Conditions

None other than to use common sense  

Camera table is a bit small but otherwise fine. Plenty of room for chargers
both in the salon and the cabins. TVs that worked with both NTSC and PAL
and even a digital projector.  

Overall Rating

Excellent trip, worth the expense and travel hassle to go to PNG (and
that's saying quite a bit). Besides the 3 in my group there were only 2
other divers. Evidently this part of PNG doesn't yet have the reputation of
some of the other areas. Not sure why this is as the diving was flat out
fantastic. Amazing hard corals, by far the best and healthiest I've ever
seen. Lots of sharks (Grey Reef, Whitetip Reef, Blacktip, Java, Silvertip,
Bull and Scalloped Hammerheads) though usually just far enough away that we
had trouble getting good pictures. Several turtles including one dive where
a large green spent the whold dive with us. Maybe not so many of the weird
muck diving kind of critters but we did see a leaf scorpionfish, a demon
stinger and quite a few crocodile flatheads. Cuttlefish and lionfish on
most dives. We dove quite a few wrecks, mostly from WWII including several
Japanese Marus and a B25.

The Golden Dawn in a very nice boat and Captain Crag de Wit is an excellent
and enthusiatic host. Food was good enough that I gained about 5 pounds
even doing 5 long dives a day, often in strong currents. Nitrox is now
filled via a membrane system and helium is availabe via prior request.

Weather was bit rough by tropical standards though this didn't really
affect the diving much. Visibility wasn't incredible but was usually a
perfectly reasonable 80 feet or so. Dives tended to be relatively advanced
so this might not be an itinerary for a rank beginner but is fine for a
competent diver. Travel to PNG is not for the faint of heart or light of
wallet. Leave time at the beginning of your itineary in case your baggage
doesn't make the same flights as you do. Highly recommended. 

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