The seaward view from Jais Aben Resort and the Christensen Research Institute, north of Madang, looking out toward the barrier reef. I'm sure that you can feel the pain I felt at being located here for two months... (Jais Aben, Madang)
The view to sea from the shore of the peninsula on which I stayed while on my first trip to PNG. Visible on the horizon are (left to right) Pig Island, tiny Little Pig right next to it, and Lepa Island — these are islands on the barrier reef, that gives some idea of how convenient some of my sites were to 'home.' I took some of the photos on these Web pages right off this shore — very convenient — but many others came from sites like the lee of Pig Island and along the barrier to the north (to the left) and Barracuda Point (on the seaward side of Pig Island, around about its midpoint). (Jais Aben, Madang)
Nagada Harbour, the sheltered harbor — part of Madang Lagoon — on which the (sadly) now-defunct Christensen Research Institute was located. Off this dock, alone, a snorkeler could see more coral species than are found in the entire Western Atlantic region
Part of the Christensen Research Institute (CRI), the research facility on the grounds of Jais Aben Resort that was host of my first visit to PNG in 1997. The two-level structure was the main office building. (Jais Aben, Madang)
The room that I stayed in at CRI, part of the dormitory block used by visiting scientists and others. The Institute also had wet and dry labs, a library, and a large cooking and dining facility as well as social areas and all of Jais Aben's amenities a few steps away. (Jais Aben, Madang)
One of CRI's small boats, the Frohm, that we used most often to get out to our sites. We regularly took these tough little boats into 2-meter seas (sometimes running into waves that were even higher) and only rarely got chased away from barrier-reef sites by unmanageable surf. We held off visiting the seamount, Planet Rock, for a long time because we were told it wasn't do-able in such a small boat. We finally figured out that this was just because nobody did it — although we saw local fishers in boats the same size or smaller out there and even further to sea — and had many happy trips to the seamount, albeit only when conditions were good enough (it definitely got a bit hairy otherwise). (Nagada Harbour, Madang)
Another of CRI's boats that we used a bit. The AC/DC was typically the personal mount of clownfish researcher Pete Buston who spent a year at a time at CRI and who salvaged their neglected fleet of small boats — all in various states of disrepair and decay as a result of the facility's emphasis switching almost exclusively to priorities other than marine research — so that he'd have something to get him out to his study sites. This centerpiece of their fleet — the flagship of "Pete's Navy" — was easy to spot on the Lagoon, and certainly a bold fashion statement (of some kind). (Nagada Harbour, Madang)
Soon after I left, the Institute closed down and has not since reopened. I have heard periodic rumors that a consortium of local and international universities and nongovernmental conservation organizations will reopen the facility and at various times it has appeared hopeful that it will again be a viable base for researchers and educators. I used the magic of Photoshop to illustrate my sadness, for a talk, at the news of CRI's closing. As far as I know, the little boats we used to venture all over the surrounding seas are still intact, though Kokomo — the friendly hornbill — has passed on and will be sadly missed by all who knew him (or her). (Nagada Harbour via a Macintosh computer, Madang)
Outriggers pulled up on the shore across a sheltered lagoon from part of the sprawling village complex of Riwo, that has its population scattered across areas of mangroves, a small township, and islands. (Riwo Village, Madang)
Evidence of World War Two is everywhere in PNG, that saw some terrific (as in horrific) pitched battles before the War in the Pacific was over. Wrecked aircraft, armored fighting vehicles, and other military equipment are scattered across land and sea. Here, a portion of the prefabricated metal runways that US Seabees and other combat engineers quickly lay to build airfields makes a handy wall to a pigpen. (Riwo Village, Madang area)
Kokomo, the kokomo. 'Kokomo' is the name that Tok Pisin (Papua New Guinean pidgin) gives to hornbills, in general, but I intially thought that it was just this particular bird's pet name. Kokomo was a wild hornbill but — as seems to be common throughout PNG — made itself semi-domesticated and always appeared to be attempting to placate what must have been a ravenous appetite. Kokomo became a kind of mascot at Jais Aben Resort, his image even adorning a T-shirt not long before I left the area, and even his tendency to scare people half to death by swooping down toward them was tolerated because he was just such a fine person. Sadly, Kokomo was run over some time after my first Madang trip, but he lives on in the hearts of all who ever had their toes, fingers, hair, or diving gear chewed by him. (Jais Aben Resort, Madang)
A Victoria crowned pigeon (Goura victoria), the largest and one of the most spectacular pigeons in the world. Papua New Guinea is home to 44 of the world's 300 pigeon species — this one is a ground-feeder that flies a bit ponderously and was once hunted very heavily for its feathers. (Jais Aben , Madang)
A brilliantly red parrot hints at the color and splendor to be found in PNG — especially underwater — attributes that are mirrored in the country's myriad cultures. (Jais Aben Resort, Madang)
The mighty Frohm loaded down with tanks and gear at one of our island sites. The gear belonged to Clif Haugen, my research assistant, and we filled the boat with as many tanks as we could fit. (Pig Island, Madang)
The northern tip of beautiful Pig Island. The barrier reef becomes a fringing reef as it clings to the seaward coastlines of this and other islands in the southern part of the Lagoon and extends in a long line, broken only by two passes, from this point northward. The fore-reef slope in most places along the barrier reef is very steep but only in a few spots have I seen it as a truly vertical wall. (Pig Island, Madang Lagoon)
A late-afternoon scene on the Lagoon, with Sinub Island at left and Tabad Island at right. Both islands are not that far from the mainland. (Madang Lagoon, Madang)
Tabad Island from another side, with the mainland in the distance. (Madang Lagoon, Madang)
Another view of Tabad Island (Madang Lagoon, Madang)
Beautiful Wongat Island, sitting out near the barrier reef a little more distant than most of my other sites in the Lagoon or along its barrier. Milinat Pass, where I spent a lot of time underwater, is further north (to the left) and was the most northerly site that I went to by boat. (Madang Lagoon, Madang)
Close to sunset on Madang Lagoon, looking toward the mainland. with part of Tabad Island in the left foreground. What barely shows in the photos, but was spectacular in person, was a corona of prismatic colors that rimmed the top of the large mushroom-like cloud. On a later trip to Kimbe Bay I saw what I can only call a 'moonbow' — a similar ring around the moon — that also proved to me that PNG's natural wonders are confned neither to land nor sea. (Madang Lagoon)
Sunset over Nagada Harbour on my last night at the Christensen Research Institute — the end of an eventful and memorable first trip to PNG. (Nagada Harbour, Madang Lagoon)
An Air Niugini STOL jet on the runway at the start of my first Kimbe Bay trip. (Hoskins Airport, Kimbe Bay)
A bit of cross-cultural confusion: the 'K-Mart' in the small town of Kimbe (West New Britain's provincial capital) is more completely known as 'Kimbe Mart.' It's a supermarket with a pretty diverse selection of goods, and is a particularly crowded place on paydays or near Christmas. (Kimbe, Kimbe Bay)
On the road between Walindi and Kimbe, that — except for one notable patch — gives a very smooth ride, coconut plantations are common. The really big business in this part of West New Britain Province, though, is the palm-oil business. Palm-oil plantations are a huge success in the area. Walindi Plantation Resort, itself, was built around an operational palm-oil concern. Walindi Plantation was taken over by Max and Cecilie Benjamin (who opened the Resort in 1983) in 1969. (near Kimbe, Kimbe Bay)
Sunrise over Kimbe Bay, as seen from Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Centre. The start of another perfect day in Paradise (a pretty darned close approximation thereof, at least). (Walindi, Kimbe Bay)
Another sunrise over Kimbe Bay. It's long been my opinion that far too much science happens early in the morning but spectacles like this were worth getting up for. Besides, I didn't have a lot of choice in that this shimmering golden path of light directly intersected my bed, hitting my face dead-on and waking me up much more effectively than any alarm clock. (Walindi, Kimbe Bay)
Nothing like starting the day by dipping my toes into the waters of Kimbe Bay. (Walindi, Kimbe Bay)
Scientists' accommodations at Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Centre, on the grounds of Walindi Plantation Resort, are literally a few steps from the water's edge. (Walindi, Kimbe Bay)
The view seaward of Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Centre, looking across to Hoskins Peninsula and beyond. (Walindi, Kimbe Bay)
More photographs from Mahonia na Dari
A guest bungalow at Walindi Plantation Resort, located in a fairly remote area along Kimbe Bay's western shore, on the Willaumez Peninsula. The oil-palm plantation that gave the Resort its name was taken over by Max and Cecilie Benjamin in 1969 and the two (realizing the incredible wealth of underwater habitat in the area) pioneered many dive sites and founded the Resort in 1983. The later addition of the liveaboard dive vessel MV FeBrina only enhanced Walindi's legendary status among divers and the hold that Kimbe Bay has over so many who have been or want to go there. Mahonia na Dari is on Walindi's land and Max and Cecilie were instrumental in its founding and are now involved in its continuing operation. (Walindi, Kimbe Bay)
A picturesque beach on an island that rises steeply beneath its rainforest cloak (in which you might spot sea eagles perched). Many excellent and quite different dives are possible around this island. (Restorf Island, Kimbe Bay)
Something that I hoped to see again before too long — my dive gear on the dive deck of MV FeBrina, after a great charter in December of 1999. In March, 2003, my gear and I were back for the ride of a lifetime! (Walindi, KImbe Bay)
The FeBrina's dive deck. (Walindi, KImbe Bay)
The stern of FeBrina — the business end, being the dive platform from which the business of diving jumps off. (May Reef, Kimbe Bay)
The top of FeBrina's starboard bow superstructure with a bit of the volcanic West New Britain coast visible in the distance. (May Reef, Kimbe Bay)
The FeBrina on her mooring as dusk falls over Kimbe Bay. (Walindi, KImbe Bay)
Looking across the exposed reef flat to beyond Hoskins Peninsula from Mahonia na Dari at sunset. (Walindi, Kimbe Bay)
A hot river, heated geothermally, somewhere in the boonies between Walindi and Kimbe, West New Britain Province. The water is quite warm but not unbearably hot and has left the riverbed's rocks coated with colorful silica and other mineral deposits. Getting there seemed to basically follow the 'Magical Mystery Tour' model. (Kimbe Bay)
A marine biologist, a film-company Production Assistant, and a Walindi divemaster basking in the volcanic warmth of the hot river. (Kimbe Bay)
Papua New Guinea's virgin rainforest includes up to five layers of foliage, all entwined with lianes and a staggering variety and density of epiphytes. Most of the photos that I've taken in the rainforest came out darker than expected because I underestimated just how dim it is under the canopy. Those of us who only make brief forays into the humid, mosquito-filled depths of the 'big bush' tend not to see much in the way of animal life larger than some spectacular butterflies and beetles — even the colorful and diverse bird fauna is heard rather than seen. (Kimbe Bay)
Sunset over Willaumez Peninsula, seen from one of Kimbe Bay's prolific seamount reef sites. (Inglis Shoal, Kimbe Bay)
Sunset over the volcanoes of Willaumez Peninsula, Kimbe Bay. Quite an incredible part of the world, on land and in the sea. (Inglis Shoal, Kimbe Bay)