January 29-February 9, 2009

Some of the world's best diving is just north of Australia. Before Tawali Resort was constructed the only way to dive Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea was on a liveaboard dive boat; now there's another option. You will fly from Pittsburgh to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, then southeast to Alotau. From Alotau it's about one hour fifteen minutes via bus and boat to Tawali Resort---your adventure has begun!

Wooden walkways connect the main dining and hanging-out area to the rooms. Your large, airy room has two queen beds, AC and ceiling fan, minibar, fridge, safe, modern bath, and private balcony overlooking Milne Bay with its resident pod of dolphins.

You will be able to do three to four dives each day plus unlimited shore diving. Tawali?s location is unique in PNG because it offers the best of exotic critter diving and prolific blue-water diving with schooling fishes and pelagic fish like sharks, rays, and even small whales. Creatures often sighted on dives include snake eels, stargazers, pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic octopus, Spanish dancers, fire urchins with Coleman shrimp, Bugs Bunny scorpionfish, weedy scorpionfish, pygmy seahorse, blue ribbon eel, lionfish, a huge variety of nudibranchs, mantis shrimp, Mandarinfish, frogfish, ghost pipefish, and cockatoo waspfish. Big animals seen often include hammerhead sharks, giant manta rays, and occasionally whale sharks and minke whales. Dive conditions are usually calm with little current and 80-84 degree water temperatures. Diving is done from 22'dive boats carrying no more than 6 divers; there is a two-tier camera table on each boat.

Several optional cultural day tours are available, such as the skull caves, bat caves, botanical gardens, waterfall hike, and dugout canoe excursions.