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Shore Day Trip Live Aboard
Country: Papua New Guinea Area: Kavieng
Water Temp: 28 - 31°C (82 - 88°F)
Visibility: 15 - 40m (49 - 131 ft)
Depth Range: 10 - 40m (33 - 131 ft)
Book A Diving Trip OnlineLissenung Island is a tiny exclusive tropical island in Papua New Guinea. Located within the Coral Triangle, the dives on the doorstep of the island exist amidst one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. The only means of visiting this island is by staying at the luxurious and elegant Lissenung Island Resort.
Book A Dive Center OnlineDiving off Lissenung plunges you into the heart of New Ireland. Currents here can be strong, but skilled instructors help divers of all levels adjust to the region in order to witness the area’s large fish. The area is home to over 300 species of fish that can be observed against a backdrop of reefs, drop-offs and current dives in channels. There are also WWII wreck diving sites and muck diving sites available.
The reef around Lissenung Island is since 1996 a MPA and is under constant surveillance. Due to its protected status it is used by a variety of organisations for research.
Fishes & shark, Credit
The resort operates with extreme awareness about their environmental impact. Permanent moorings are used at nearly all sites, and they follow a strict no-touch policy. In addition to paying a fee to the MPA, the lodge also pays a fee to the local reef owners who use those funds for community development projects.
The resort also runs a turtle nesting program. Through it, they relocate turtle nests from surrounding islands to a protected place on Lissenung, to ensure that the eggs are not poached by local residents. In terms of research, the lodge conducts and supports initiatives directed at better understanding the local environment. They have aided in the discovery of a number of new seashells through working in collaboration with European scientists.
Colorful reef, Credit
Tropical climate with an average temperature of 28-30C.
April – December is dry season with SE winds, usually stronger during mid July – end August. Wet season is end December – end March
Water temperature all year round 28-31C.
Very good critter diving. Pygmy Seahorse, Ghost Pipefish, Demon Stinger, varieties of nudibranchs.
Good pelagic fish action with schooling Barracudas, Jacks etc. when the tidal currents are running.
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
Lissenung Island House Reef: Surrounding about 2/3 of Lissenung Island, this reef is an ideal spot for photographers and for night diving. You may encounter Seahorse, six different species of Clownfish including the rare Panda Clownfish, Cockatoo Waspfish, Crocodile Fish and hundreds of other species. Off the island is also the wreck of a yacht, which was sunk in the 70's.
Beautiful day to dive at Lissenung, Credit
Dive Site 1: Albatross Passage
At an incoming tide this narrow passage is like fish soup. Eagle Rays, Mobula Rays, big Dogtooth Tunas, Barracudas, plenty of Grey Reef Sharks and loads of other fish can be seen here on almost every dive. The wall itself is overgrown with big fan corals, black corals and sponges and this is the home for small creatures like Nudibranchs, Leaf Scorpionfish and Pygmy Seahorse. In our opinion Albatross is the best dive in the Kavieng area and a must for every visiting diver.
Dive Site 2: Peter’s Patch
Peter’s Patch is the southeastern tip of a very large reef system in Steffen Strait, the main shipping entrance into Kavieng. With incoming tide this spot attracts lots of pelagic fish such as Tunas, Jacks, Sharks and Barracudas and during the whole dive a school of Batfish will most likely accompany you.
The busy Lissenung underwater , Credit
Dive Site 3: The Bottleshop
Around the pylons of a slipway in the Kavieng harbour is probably the best muck-dive in the area. Through the years an amazing selection of bottles, cans and tyres have created a perfect environment for critters. The weird and wonderful such as Ghost Pipefish, Demon Stinger, Allied Cowries, Nudibranchs and Shrimps, Octopus, Pipefish, Seahorse and many more are abundant here. This dive is a must for the serious macro photographer.
Dive Site 4: Deep ‘Pete’
This ‘Pete’ Floatplane was found recently off Nusa Island in about 40m (130ft). Sitting on white sand, covered in black coral trees and surrounded by Batfish it is a very scenic dive, but unfortunately also a dive with a very short bottom time.
School of fish in Lissenung, Credit
There are no liveaboards operating around Lissenung. However, a number of operators sail in the Coral Triangle more broadly.
Information & photos kindly provided by: Lissenung Island Resort
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
Daily flights into the capital city of Port Moresby from Australia as well as flights from Singapore, Hongkong, Tokyo, Manila, Cebu, Bali, Honiara and Fiji.
Once in Port Moresby there are daily connecting flights to Kavieng. Guests are met at the Kavieng airport and a boat will bring them to Lissenung Island.
Aerial view of the island, Credit
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
The in-house restaurant at Lissenung Island Resort organizes all meals. The restaurant serves international cuisine with a focus on seafood. They accommodate dietary requirements.
Anemone fish, Credit
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
Lissenung offers a variety of other activities for their guests to enjoy when not diving. This includes:
Snorkelling, Fishing Trips, Surfing, Island Tours, with stops at an Oil Palm Plantation, and a freshwater stream filled with eels , Kite Surfing, Community visits and Trips along New Ireland.
Boats & kiddos playing, Credit
Most questions are answered by our
diving community within 24 hours
• Check your visa requirements, visitors from a number of countries must have a visa prior to arrival in PNG.
• When booking land arrangements, only use reputable tour operators. Under no circumstances book a tour with Niugini Eco Tourism – Ben Nickintz (pngtourism.com or png-tourism.com) as there have been several cases reported where services were not delivered.
Underwater plant, Credit
• No hyperbaric chamber on Lissenung, the nearest chamber is in Port Moresby. We highly recommend to all guests to sign up for DAN insurance which covers evacuation in case of an emergency.
Other than that, PNG is definitely worth a visit, the country has an amazing variety of culture and nature to offer.
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