411 Dive Log Australasia April 2025

TUFI MY YEAR IN PARADISE text and photos by Matt Waters

Matt is celebrating the enchanting Coral Gardens which lie right near Cyclone reef .

There are some places in this world that never truly leave you. Tufi, Papua New Guinea, is one of them. My first encounter with this remote paradise came when I was the dive shop manager and instructor at Tufi Resort. What followed was a year of extraordinary diving, over a thousand dives into some of the most untouched reef systems on the planet, and a deep connection with the Papuan way of life. It was here, overlooking the fjords, that I conceived Nomadic Scuba and returned in December 2018 leading my first large group expedition. I long to revisit Tufi, to see my friends and dive the stunning reefs once more, so I am, and you can join me. Read on and learn why Tufi should be on your bucket list.

Tufi’s reefs are as diverse as they are pristine. The coastline is fringed with an expansive network of reefs that plunge into the deep blue, some reaching depths beyond 90 meters while others sit just below the surface, vibrant and teeming with life. Cyclone Reef, a standout dive site, emerges from the ocean like a mirage - its small sandbar breaking the surface, an ephemeral island surrounded by an underwater metropolis. Despite what maps may suggest, my time exploring Tufi revealed far more than the 28 charted reefs. In fact, the dive crew and I discovered and mapped 12 previously uncharted reef systems, each a hidden

Blue Linkia Sea Star

Giant anemone

79

DiveLogAustralasia #411 April 25

www.divelog.net.au