Lissenung Diving

Picture a small private island with a white sandy beach, tall palm trees, beautiful flowers, magnificent sunsets and tradtionional bungalows. Surrounding this beautiful hideaway are some of the most colourful reefs and the best fish life this planet has to offer....

Just north of Australia lies Papua New Guinea - The Land of the Unexpected.

After a 1:30 hour flight from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, you reach Kavieng. Situated only 2 degree south of the equator, on the north-western end of the island of New Ireland, you find yourself in this small, laid-back town. Often referred to as a typical "Somerset Maugham" South Pacific island setting, you are now right between two crystal clear oceans: The South Pacific in the north and the Bismarck Sea in the south.

However, this area has not always been so peaceful. During World War II, Kavieng had been occupied by Japanese troops and was finally freed by the allied forces in 1945. A few wrecks from this time still remind us of the battles fought in this area so many years ago.
But the real attraction of the waters around Kavieng is the fish life. Come along with us and we show you more.......

Lissenung Island Resort is located a 20 minute boat ride away from Kavieng. The resort, which was started in early 1996, is all there is on the island. There are only 4 bungalows with a total of 7 rooms, accommodating a maximum of 14 guests. Other than a handful of local staff, you won't see another soul. You can easily circumnavigate the entire island in about 10-15 minutes. Deckchairs and a bottle of wine on the beach at sunset time are the perfect way of ending an exciting day of diving.

The set-up of the resort is simple but comfortable and Lissenung Diving is the first address for divers visiting the Kavieng area.

The main house offers comfortable chairs on a sandy floor and it is here where cold drinks and delicious meals await you. Fresh seafood, such as fish, crabs and crayfish (lobster) feature high on a menu where set meals are served, rather than actually giving out a menu to choose from. Special dietary requirements can be catered for on request. Please advise us of those as early as possible, as food supplies can be a little limited at times.

Many of the ingredients used in our meals come from the local market in Kavieng or are bought from the vendors that either visit our island or come out to meet our dive boats at various dive sites. We buy fresh fruit such as pineapple and bananas as well as all our seafood from these people.

Beer and Wine are available at the resort, but feel free to bring along your own alcoholic beverages. Especially spirits are often unavailable in PNG.

All buildings are built in the traditional style, most of them with thatched roofs and from bamboo woven walls. The local "building materials" are surprisingly strong and withstand even the strongest rainstorms.

Some local artifacts, which are also for sale, complete the picture and give the buildings that great PNG atmosphere.

Accommodation

• The 4 bungalows are spread out over the island, giving the guests plenty of privacy. 3 of the 4 bungalows house 2 double or twin rooms. The last bungalow is a one-room bungalow.
• The bungalows are the only buildings on the island that have a timber floor. All other buildings have sand floors.
• All rooms are fitted with a mosquito net over the bed, a ceiling fan, a large desk and a warderobe. All bungalows also have a big verandah with comfortable chairs to relax in after the diving.
• The beautiful breeze that reaches every corner of the island ensures that no air-conditioning is necessary.
• Four of the rooms have their own ensuite bathroom each, with toilet, basin and shower. For the other three rooms, the share facilities are just a short stroll away.
• Although the water in your shower is not heated, the warm environment (28° Celsius/83F) usually ensures a pleasant water temperature.
• The big desk in front of the window is ideal for photographers, giving them plenty of natural light to work by and ensure that all camera gear is ready for the next dive
• There are also a number of powerpoints in each room, so batteries can be re-charged at all times.
• The rooms are serviced daily and all linen and towels are provided.
  Lissenung Island Resort is a PADI GO ECO operator and as such, we are committed to minimise diver's impact on the aquatic ecosystem whilst contributing to environmental, economic and cultural conservation.

Diving

New Ireland is known for its pelagic fish action, but you need currents for attracting big fish. This type of diving is sometimes a bit difficult because of the strong currents. Our staff will show you the easiest and safest way to dive here and once you've made it, you will be rewarded with world class diving.

Please keep in mind though that nature prevails and that strong currents (and pelagics) can't be guaranteed to occur daily!

It would also be wrong to come here and expect to just see big fish and lots of sharks. There is so much more to see in these waters, if one looks beyond the pelagics and keeps an open mind to the diving on offer! After all, Papua New Guinea's oceans have one of the largest bio-diversities in the world!

Daily boat trips to the outer reefs, drop offs and wrecks with a maximum of 3 dives per day are offered. We usually start at 9 am with 2 morning dives and after lunch, you can either go out for a 3rd boat dive, relax on the island or do a shore dive at Lissenung. For divers staying at Lissenung, we offer unlimited shorediving during the day FOC! If you stay in one of the hotels in Kavieng, you are picked up every day free of charge.

• Water temperature is about 29°C/85F all year round and the underwater visibility is between 30 and 40 meters/90-120 feet on most dives.
• On almost all of our dive sites we use permanent moorings to avoid damage from anchoring. A 'no-touch'-policy has also been introduced.
• Our fully serviced dive shop includes two compressors (2 x 260 l/min), 50 aluminium tanks (80 cu.ft, INT valve) and 12 full sets of rental equipment (Scubapro).
• PADI dive courses from Open Water right through to Divemaster are available. A great number of speciality courses are also on offer, including PADI Scooter Diver.
• Lissenung Island Resort has a very photographer friendly set-up. There is a seperate freshwater rinse tank, just for camera gear. In your room, there is a big work space right in front of the window, giving you plenty of natural light to work on your camera equipment. A number of powerpoints ensure that your batteries can be fully charged at any time
• Our staff know how to handle camera equipment and will be able to assit you when entering and exiting the water. If you hold a Solo Diver Certification you can dive on your own.
• We can supply the pony bottles including the tank straps and regulator.
• The resort's 2 dive boats will have you at any of the dive sites within 20 - 30 minutes.
• The larger dive boat is a 24 ft fibreglass boat a 115HP 4-stroke outboard engine and can comfortably carry 6-8 divers
• The smaller dive boat is a 23 ft fibreglass boat with a single 75 HP outboard engine. We take 4 - 6 divers on this boat.
• With a canopy, equipment boxes, tank racks and a ladder both boats are perfectly designed for diving.
• A DAN oxygen unit for emergency situations is on board both boats and our dive staff are trained in its use.

A typical day at Lissenung looks a bit like this:

• 7.00-8.30am - Breakfast
• 9.00am Boat departs for 2 morning dives approx.1.00pm Lunch (this basically happens whenever the boat returns from the diving)
• 2.30pm-late 3rd boat dive, free shore-diving on the house reef or time to relax
• 7.00pm Dinner
• 8.30pm Night Dive
  
  
  
  
  
  

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