Dive Review of
Tufi in
Papua New Guinea/Oro Province

California, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, Washington, Bonaire, Cozumel,
Fiji, Indonesia (Irian Jaya, Sulawesi), Jamaica

Dive Conditions

No restrictions: the guides told us that everyone should just go to the
depth they prefered.   

Because of high currents, we didn't take cameras.  There was really no
accomodation for cameras on the boat.   

Overall Rating

     Flying into Tufi is half the fun.  The view of the area from the air
is awesome- especially if you’ve been pining away for the fjords. The fifty
minute flight is on a sixteen seat plane from Port Moresby.  The plane
lands within walking distance of the resort, on a grassy area next to the
sea.  We were in Tufi during the PNG winter and unfortunately, according to
the dive crew, the weather was cooler and windier than usual. The water was
pretty cold, about 75-78°F.  I regretted that I only had my 3 mm
wetsuit - I would have been more comfortable in a 5 mm.  
     Our first dives were at Cyclone Bomie and Cyclone Wall.  This site is
about an hour boat ride from the resort.  The water was very choppy and
getting in and out of the boat was a bit tricky.   We saw a gray shark and
an immense Mayori wrasse which was guided by two pilot fish.  On Cyclone
Wall, we saw numerous nudibranchs.  We ended both dives early since we were
cold but the dive guides were even colder.  They left the water after a few
minutes because they were so cold.  We went for a twilight  dive on the
Tufi Jetty. The problem on this dive was that I kept hoping that I would
see something memorable but I never did.  There was a considerable amount
of trash dumped and I was a bit concerned about broken glass. We did see
several banded pipe fish, an anemone with two tiny black percula-like clown
fish, and a juvenile sweetlips.  The water was cold again and my son and I
ended up leaving the water after just 50 minutes.  The best dives during
our trip was at Bev’s Bomie.  There was very high current and I used a reef
hook to stabilize myself.  The top of the bomie, at the mooring line,  is
scrubbed clean by the current.  We saw two gray sharks together with two
trailing remora.  There were also 2 small white tip sharks. There was a
large, probably gray shark, that skittered away when it spotted us.  The
wall was swarming with fish.  Of note was a beautiful scorpion fish resting
on a sponge on the wall.  We also saw many nudibranchs including several
large funeral joruna.  During the safety stop on the top of the bomie, I
spotted a tiny (maybe quarter to half inch) rockmover wrasse.  
     The dive guides, JT (short for John Thomas) and Evelyn were
enthusiastic and helpful.  JT prided himself on calling sharks for us
(though I have to admit to being skeptical about how effective this is) and
 finding unusual nudibranchs.  He was the one dive guide that stuck with us
even when the others had left because of the cold.  JT was also an
experienced captain on the boat.  The boat itself was a bit shabby with
torn upholstery and there was difficulty starting the motor a few times.
The cars for getting a lift to and from diving were in pretty shabby shape
as well.  The dive shop is a at the bottom of a cliff and there is only a
narrow road on the side of the cliff. The ride to and from the dive shop
was so uncomfortable that we took to walking up and down the steep road.
    The resort itself is a bit of a fortress.  Every effort is made to keep
local people off the property.  Gates open and shut rapidly to let the
resort’s cars in.  There are guards posted at the gate and patrolling the
grounds. We visited a nearby village and were warmly welcomed but heard
from other guests that there were other nearby villages that were not as
friendly with the resort or guests.  The rooms were adequate and air
conditioned - important not so much because it was hot but because the
mosquitos were out in droves.  Our room had a deck overlooking the fjords
and the view was spectacular.
    The dining/reception area is comfortable and beautifully maintained. 
The dinner was consistently delicious and beautifully presented. On Sunday
night, they prepared a barbeque out on the large deck overlooking the
fjord.  This feast included lobster, spicy crab, fish, spicy noodles, fried
rice, and local vegetables (I couldn’t even tell what they were, but they
were good).   

 

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