DIVE LOG JUNE 2025 issue 412

events of WWII. Terry’s , father was a member of the Australia Infantry Force and served in Milne Bay and Cathie’s grandfather was reconnaissance photographer with the RAAF 100 Squadron. In 1942, ‘The Battle of Milne Bay’ was a critical 10-day conflict that marked the first major defeat of Japanese forces on land during WWII. Well maintained memorial tributes to those Australians, Americans and Papuans who lost their lives in the battle can be found throughout the town as a sad reminder of the bravery and sacrifice made by those who fought to defend their homelands. So we explored the township with our wonderful guide Philip Kalebo whose grandfather was also a combatant. Philip’s knowledge was imparted in a highly emotional way especially aspects of the deep impact this chapter of our South-Pacific history had on so many. But we had primarily come to dive Milne Bay’s alluring waters with its unprecedented blend of reef, wall, drift and muck diving. So with Oceania perfectly on time, we departed the wharf at the Driftwood Hotel in the late afternoon with the necessary introductions and safety briefings. We must say, Oceania ticks all the boxes in terms of facilities, service, comfort and the quality of meals and crew. Our underwater guides and engineers (Andrew, Willie, Junior, Ben, Greg & Valentine) along with skipper Dan Johnson, with his infectious Visibility throughout our adventure ranged from 7mts on muck dives to 20mts in open water. The water temperature ranged from 28 to 30 C (March) which made our Sharkskin Titanium 2 wetsuits nice and cozy. In most cases, we were able to have four dives per day, or even five with night and twilight dives. All our dives were on Nitrox. Diving depths varied from 7 to 35mts and in most cases lasted over 60 minutes to give us a total underwater adventure for the entire trip of over 30 hours. We also experienced smooth seas and no rain throughout and occasional mild currents. Topside enthusiasm, humour, storytelling and professionalism, were outstanding.

Mandarin Fish

we were constantly greeted by alluring islands with white sandy beaches, in the distance breathtaking mountain scenery, magical sunrises/sets and enjoyed the ever-present locals peddling fresh vegetables to our chef (Leonie) and hostesses (Melvin, Everlin & Meg) from their canoes. Each morning the day started with a 6 am wake-up call and first breakfast (Continental style), a dive brief at 7am and then into the water. The day then progressed through ‘second breakfast’ (full menu) after dive #1 and then dive #2, dive #3, lunch, Dive 4, etc., throughout our trip. Of course there was always tea, coffee and snacksavailable. A nice touch was the warm towels offered between dives and access to the deck toilet/shower if you did not want to return to your cabin between dives or you were just busting. Our first dive was at a site called ‘Sullivans Patch’. From this early beginning we were going to realize the stunning diversity of marine life the region has to offer. In particular, the number of brittle stars, crinoids, sponges, nudibranchs and shrimp species we encountered on just about every dive was astonishing. At Sullivans, we dropped in on top of a sleeping Epaulette Shark where we were able to get some close-up photos of this amazing creature. The site provided such excitement, after a short consultation with all the divers, Dan decided to offer us a second dive at Sullivans after the second breakfast and we were not disappointed. We

Crocodile fish

Shrimps

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DIVE LOG Australasia #412 - June 25

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