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The Conflict Islands are sensational for diving, snorkelling and fishing with Milne Bay often site as one of the best dive sites in the world.

Being an atoll formed from a volcano, the Conflict Islands are surrounded by deep troughs and good strong clear water ocean currents, making them one big pressure point. Millions of fish feed off the rich currents that hit against the walls of reefs that surround the island group. The natural lagoons and sandy beaches make it ideal for green and hawksbill turtles to nest, rest and feed. Migrating Orca, Minky, Pilot, Humpback whales, Manta rays, dolphins and reef sharks all regularly visit the island group.

With over 50 great dives, divers will see many of these animals as the divers drift along the incredible walls, looking at the myriad of tiny fish and larger schools.

One of the great attractions to all of Milne Bay is the diving. Being one of the oldest reef rainforest systems in the world, with very little impact through farming, land clearing or commercial fishing, the province is full of life and incredible dives. Milne Bay's diving is in the top three world sites, according to National Geographic Magazine. It has a variety of beaches with powdery white sands, black sand, volcanic rock, pebbled and coral beaches. Assessments conducted in Milne Bay several years ago recorded nearly 430 species of coral, 950 species of mollusks and over 1,100 species of fish, many found nowhere else.

With the ability to do up to 3 dives a day you will experience just how diverse the region is.

DIVE SITES

Home Run - this is the house reef. On the western side of the main island of Panasessa, a great place to watch the sunset, is a long lagoon, stretching about a kilometer along the back beach and out about 200m. The lagoon itself is only 2m deep at its deepest point with a sandy bottom that makes itself a home for rays, turtles and crabs. At the edge of the lagoon is the reef top, exposed at low tide, it is still full of life but very shallow and the only way through it is a tiny channel that runs from the lagoon to the reefs outer edge. It is here that the diving begins. After a gentle swim out through the channel, you arrive at the edge of home run, the wall that runs along the whole length of the island. At 5-7m the wall has a shelf on it that less experienced divers can dive along that is full of corals and fans and the usual high number of fish. Off the edge of this shelf the wall drops away again, vertical, to around 35-40m where it meets the sandy bottom and continues to slope away. We have seen Manta rays, Sharks, turtles, Maori Wrasse, massive schools of unicorn fish, etc.

For a home reef, this is incredible, and still considered one of the best dive locations by experienced divers. Each dive reveals more and more including box crabs, crayfish and along the back wall running into sleeping turtles is just as common.

Two Stacks - This dive is so named because of the abundant coral life and fans often with one stacked upon the other. Another wall, this one gets a deep upsurge of currents that feeds the corals and allowing them to grow to incredible size. Because of all the corals, you will see a lot of the coral eating fish on this dive and have often sighted a posse of more than 15 very large bump head parrot fish, working along the wall smashing off coral and chewing on it. This is also a great site for turtles and the occasional reef shark.

Beluga - So named because we consider this to be the best site at the conflicts so far as we still have kilometres of dives to discover. A north-facing wall and reef, the dive starts at around 6m in a natural amphitheater, or coral bommies and a sandy bottom. Heading off along the wall to the western point, the terrain weaves in and out of crevices, overhangs, bommies, tunnels and caves.

Here you will see titan triggers and big nose butterfly fish, plenty of snapper and yellow mask angelfish. The big pelagic fish come through as you reach closer to the point and we often see trevally, tuna, job fish and mackerel working the pressure point caused by the currents along the reef. This is an exceptional dive.

Our fully trained diving staff including a PADI master are there to accompany you on your dives and snorkels. Whether you are a regular diver or a first timer there are plenty of sites for you to enjoy.