Dive Review of Walindi Plantation Resort in
Papua New Guinea/Hoskins

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Walindi Plantation Resort, Jun, 2003, by Lori Brown, MD, USA ( Sr. Contributor 22 reports). Report 588.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Lori Brown, Chris Green, and Justin Brown Green Walindi Plantation Resort We arrived at Hoskins Airport on an Air Niugini flight – the flight was delayed by several hours– evidently a common occurrence since on our month long trip in PNG, every Air Niugini flight we had was delayed or cancelled. None-the-less, the driver from Walindi Plantation Resort was waiting for us when we arrived. So was lunch when we arrived at the plantation, thoughtful of them since we arrived after 2 pm. After lunch, a tour of the hot springs on the plantation, about a 45 minute drive, was offered. But the hospitality didn’t end there. A dive briefing was held for us at 7 pm, with Joseph. He had a map of the dive sites and individual maps and dive briefings for each site. Joseph also arranged for a dive guide, Gerard, to dive with the latest certified diver in our family, our 12 year old son. Gerard was an excellent and conscientious guide for him. The accommodations were great and included a bed in the living room area for our son, a little dinette area, abundant closet space, and a little kitchen with counters that were perfect for setting up cameras. I have to tell you the best part: the shower. Not only was the water HOT but the water pressure was high. This shower might even be the best in the world – it sure beats the water-saver shower that we have at home. Outside, there was a pungent sulfur odor. At first I thought it was the low-tide but it turned out to be the aroma of a nearby volcano. Our first dive was at South Ema. There is a swim through at about 100 feet with a sea fan with a pygmy sea horse and leafy reef scorpion fish. The second dive was at Charmaine’s Reef. There were 3 cuttle fish, two fairly close to each other, beautiful sea fans, and incredible soft coral (Dendronepthya) of all colors. After the second dive, we came across a large pod of bottle nose dolphins. The boat has special nets mounted on the sides so that snorkelers can hang onto the nets as the boat moves through the dolphins. At one point, there were 8-10 dolphins directly underneath us in the net. They looked like they were flying. All that before lunch on our first day of diving. Another spectacular dive was Inglis Shoals. This site features a beautiful seamount. On our first dive there, several of the divers saw a hammerhead at about 130 feet. There were also several grey reef sharks and white tip reef sharks. They circled around the seamount so that we encountered them repeatedly throughout the dive. There was also a massive school of barracuda and on one of the dives at this site, they allowed me to get within 5 feet and swim parallel to the school for awhile before they circled up again. There was also a large school of batfish. At Christine’s Reef we saw spectacular sea whips, enormous sea fans covered with colorful crinoids, large barrel sponges, a healthy stand of Acropora coral, all sorts of nudibranchs, and even an evil crown-of-thorns starfish. Another memorable reef was the Agu Reef which is like a narrow ridge that seems to be terraced in all directions. On either end of the ridge, there was step after step of Acropora coral stands. On either side of the ridge, there were terraces down both sides and as you looked down, they seem to go on endlessly. There were nudibranchs galore along the wall. At Kirsty Jaynes Reef we saw multiple pygmy sea horses, a harlequin ghost pipefish, a swarm of razor fish hiding in the sea whips, and a squat lobster hiding in a crinoid. Back at the plantation, dinner was served buffet style and there were plenty of entrees, vegetables, and salads. Long tables encouraged guests to mix it up for sociable dinners. Lunch was always an appealing picnic between dives, usually chicken and plenty of salads, at one of the small islands. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, toast – the usual. Snacks and drinks were available for purchase and they kept a tab. This was great diving and a pleasant resort.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Lissenung Island Resort (PNG), Loloata Island (PNG), Fiji, Sulawesi, Wakatobi, Irian Jaya, Bonaire, Jamaica, Cozumel
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	80-85°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	There was a kitchen area in the bungalow with adequate counter space and outlets for setting up cameras. Joseph, a senior dive master, volunteered to carry extra cameras down and was very helpful spotting for macro photos. There is also a photoshop at the island for those wishing to rent camera and instruction available.

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Dive Review of Walindi Plantation Resort in Papua New Guinea/Hoskins

Walindi Plantation Resort, Jun, 2003,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Walindi Plantation Resort in
Papua New Guinea/Hoskins