MV FeBrina

M.V. FeBrina dives the areas of Kimbe Bay and surrounding waters along the northern coast of New Britain, such as the Witu Islands to the north west and Fathers Reefs to the north east of Kavieng. These waters are home to prolific and diverse marine creatures and corals. Recent marine surveys in Kimbe Bay have recorded over 350 species of reef building corals and over 900 species of fish. The reefs are a photographer's paradise. Pristine and colorful corals are home to a variety of fish, crustacean and invertebrate life. Many of the reefs have resident schools of barracuda, tuna, and jacks. A range of shark species are regularly sighted, including hammerheads and silvertips, particularly at the outer reefs of Fathers and Witu. Visibility ranges from 80 to 150 feet, depending on the season and water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather is tropical with little seasonal variation.

The MV FeBrina is fast becoming one of the world's best known live-aboard dive boats. Given a five star rating in all categories in a leading dive guide and highly recommended in the prestigious Harper & Queen, FeBrina is a 72 foot long vessel, fully air-conditioned and fitted with every convenience to make your trip one of the most enjoyable you will ever experience.

Most diving is from FeBrina's spacious dive deck, with easy access via the water level dive platform. Some of the reefs are current washed, without current the spectacular marine life would not be there, however, the wide range of dive sites means that it is not necessary to dive at a site if currents are unmanageable at the time.

Accommodation
Twin Cabins 3 and 4 and single cabins 1 and 2 have share bathroom facilities with two bathrooms situated on the same level as the cabins and shared between maximum of 6 guests. Breakfast cooked to order, buffet lunch and gourmet dinner are served daily in addition to fresh mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks (a glass of complimentary Australian wine or other beverage of your choice will be served with dinner). Bathrobes are available for your use on board. Linens, towels and daily laundry service are included. Guests have the opportunity to do between four and five dives a day. Filled tanks, weights and weightbelt are included. Your meal at Walindi Resort on the final night is included if voyage concludes at Walindi.

Food
Meals are prepared by your on-board chef, and the menu consists mainly of Western style meals. If you have any special dietary requirements, please advise us so we can prepare to adequately meet your needs.

Beverages
FeBrina's selection includes fruit juices, soft drinks, plenty of iced water (not bottled), tea and coffee and Australian wines at dinner. Fresh milk is not available in PNG, although UHT long life milk is readily available and provided on board. Herbal teas are not always available. We encourage you to consume lots of liquids during the week to avoid dehydration. The water on board is a mixture of desalinated water and spring water from Walindi.

Diving
M.V. FeBrina dives the areas of Kimbe Bay and surrounding waters along the northern coast of New Britain, such as the Witu Islands to the north west and Fathers Reefs to the north east of Kavieng. These waters are home to prolific and diverse marine creatures and corals. Recent marine surveys in Kimbe Bay have recorded over 350 species of reef building corals and over 900 species of fish. The reefs are a photographer's paradise. Pristine and colorful corals are home to a variety of fish, crustacean and invertebrate life. Many of the reefs have resident schools of barracuda, tuna, and jacks. A range of shark species are regularly sighted, including hammerheads and silvertips, particularly at the outer reefs of Fathers and Witu. Visibility ranges from 80 to 150 feet, depending on the season and water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather is tropical with little seasonal variation.

Most diving is from FeBrina's spacious dive deck, with easy access via the water level dive platform. Some of the reefs are current washed, without current the spectacular marine life would not be there, however, the wide range of dive sites means that it is not necessary to dive at a site if currents are unmanageable at the time.

Nitrox is available on board from March 2005 at an additional cost ... let the dive crew know if you would like to take advantage of this facility when you get on board. Cost is USD$10 per tank, or USD$150 for a 7 day trip, USD$200 for a 10 day trip, with payment made at the end of your trip.

Over 400 species of reef building corals have been recorded in Kimbe Bay. This is more than half the total number of known coral species in the world. Over 900 species of fish have been recorded and this number will continue to grow as more research is done.

These dive site descriptions are intended to give you some idea of what you are likely to find on the reefs around Walindi. A number of the more interesting fishes that have been observed at each site are listed, but of course they may not be seen on every dive. We can guarantee, however, that you will see vastly more than can ever be described in the brief overviews given here. Take your time and dive carefully. In this way you will be better able to appreciate what is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.

The coral reef communities around Northern New Britain have remained largely undamaged by human activity. We intend to keep it that way. We use moorings where possible to reduce damage from anchoring.
As a diver, your help in protecting the reef is imperative. You may only damage a small piece of coral, but when multiplied by many divers, this will amount to considerable damage. Dive carefully and use good buoyancy control, don't touch the reef. Never lean on the reef to take photographs. We will treat your cameras with the same respect with which you treat our reefs.

Restorf Island
The waters around Restorf Island hold an incredible diversity of marine life. It would be possible to spend a week diving here and still find new things in the various habitat types around the island. Depth is from the surface, down to 32m, and this site is excellent for snorkeling.

On the main reef there is a profusion of coral growth, especially gorgonian fax and black corals, with anemones occupied by Clown Anemonefish near the boat mooring. There is a great variety of reef fishes along the full length of the main reef. At the end of the reef, Grey Reef Sharks are often seen.

To the west side of Restorf, the reef slopes downward in a patchwork of loosely connected coral bommies, many serving as anchors for gorgonian fans, sea whips, barrel sponges, and elephant ear sponges. Among these live many species of smaller reef fish such as hawkfish, gobies and colourful anthias and numerous invertebrates including nudibranchs, shrimp, feather duster worms and an occasional octopus.

On the sandy flats between the island and the reef are large colonies of graden eels, at least four species of shrimp gobies, burrowing gobies, sand anemones, occasional flatheads and flounders. Watch out for the Titan Triggerfish over the sandy areas. Usually easy to spot, these fish excavate large depressions in the sand and rubble in which to lay their eggs. Observe from a distance, but don't get too close as the females have been known to bite divers when they are guarding eggs in the nest.

Febrina Top Dive Sites
The waters of Papua New Guinea are home to prolific and diverse marine creatures and corals. Recent marine surveys in Kimbe Bay have recorded over 350 species of reef building corals, and over 900 species of fish. The reefs are a photographer's paradise. Pristine and colorful corals are home to a variety of fish, crustacean and invertebrate life. Many of the reefs have resident schools of barracuda, tuna and jacks. A range of shark species are regularly sighted, including hammerheads and silvertips, particularly at the outer reefs of Fathers and Witu. Visibility ranges from 80 to 150 ft., depending on the season, and water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather is tropical, with little seasonal variation.

Most diving is from FeBrina's and Star Dancer's spacious dive decks, with easy access via the water level dive platform. Some of the reefs are current washed; without current the spectacular marine life would not be there, however, the wide range of dive sites means that it is not necessary to dive at a site if currents are unmanageable at the time.

Every dive in Papua New Guinea is an exciting new experience, highlighted by encounters with dog tooth tuna, sharks, vast schools of pelagics such as barracuda trevally and others .

The Atun - Formerly a tuna fishing vessel, the wreck of the Atun was purposely sunk by the Rabaul Dive Club in 1983. It is situated on a ledge near Rabaul in approximately 70 ft. of water with the profile reaching just 25 ft. below the surface. Divers may see various species of anemone fish as well as Mantis Shrimp, nudibranchs, and swallowtail seahorses or perhaps even a dugong.

Valley of the Fans - This is a reef system of three bommies with sand chutes which start at 30 ft. and covers an area which approximates the size of three tennis courts. It is approx. 100 ft. to the sand. As the name suggests, the valley is a packed gorgonian forest. Leaf Scorpion fish have been spotted on this site as well as turtles, tuna, lionfish, trevally jacks, sharks and blue spotted rays.

Makada Harbor (Two Tanks) - This shallow dive is known for the two military tanks which were dropped here by the fleeing Japanese army under chase by an Australian boat in WWII . It is a great critter hunting area and divers are likely to see nudibranchs, flatworms, lionfish, eels, and a variety of anemone fish.

Cold Reef - Large gorgonian fans are common on this large reef area which starts in approx. 35 ft to a sandy bottom at 100 ft. Many divers see tuna, nudibranchs, garden eels and fusiliers. Strong currents occasionally pick up around this area.

Pork Chops Knob (also called Tommy's Folly) - This large bommie is quite shallow at only 15 ft. to the surface. Divers will surely notice the beautiful sea whips and gorgonians which are abundant here. Sightings of octopus, crocodile fish and barracuda are not uncommon here.

Harry's Knob - This knob is a small bommie with a ridge running down to another bommie where divers have spotted the beautiful and elusive mandarin fish as well as lots of antheas and plenty of small critters. The soft corals and reef fish start in approx. 20 ft. of water and the wall runs very deep from there.

Halfway Reef - This large bommie starts in 20 ft., slopes to 50 ft., then drops off in a deep, vertical wall. It is inhabited by sweetlips, sharks, anemones, barrel sponges, and lots of crinoids and feather stars.

Leslieâs Knob - This seamount begins in 20 ft. and slopes vertically into the depths. The top of the bommie is full of healthy hard corals. Divers may discover trevally, barracuda, scorpion fish, cuttlefish as well as schools of colorful anthias.

Jackie's Reef - A long sloping ridge stretches away from this seamount in 50 to 80 ft.

Diving Paperwork
Please bring your certification card and log book(s) for verification of your dive training/experience. You will be required to complete and sign a standard release and waiver form prior to diving on MV FeBrina. Please ensure you have a copy of the waiver form prior to arriving into Papua New Guinea … contact our reservations staff for a copy of waiver.

Packing
Please plan to travel light, as on all liveaboards space is limited. We recommend that you pack your gear in soft luggage such as duffle bags for easy stowage and leave those large, rigid suitcases at home which will add to your comfort in your cabin. For guests on longer itinerary, it is advised to pack separately the gear you will require on board. FeBrina has storage facilities on shore at Walindi for items you will not require on board, or for those larger suitcases once you have removed the necessary items for your trip. Remember that laundry is done daily, if required, and pack accordingly. Clothing should be lightweight, comfortable sportswear and bathing suits are a must. A light sweater or throwover is ideal for evening - especially during the months of June through August. Dress aboard FeBrina is always casual, however it should be noted that Papua New Guineans in New Britain will be offended by ladies with uncovered upper thighs. Please bring a sarong to cover up with when in sight of shore.

Additional items you may want to bring are sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat or visor and bug spray or lotion. Hair dryers are provided in each cabin. In case of rough weather, or if you have a tendency toward sea sickness, over the counter motion medication should be purchased prior to arrival. You may wish to pack your regulator, dive computer, mask, bathing suit, change of clothes and essential items in your carry-on bag. This will make it easier in the event your luggage is delayed.

Dive Equipment
Equipment provided aboard the FeBrina includes tanks, weights and weight belts. The basic diving equipment you bring with you should be a regulator, depth and pressure gauge, watch or bottom timer, buoyancy compensation device (BCD), mask, fins, and snorkel. We also recommend a safety sausage and Dive Alert or whistle. Additional recommended equipment are a dive computer, dive light (with extra batteries or charging unit) and a dive skin and/or wetsuit. Water temperature rarely goes below 85 degrees (20 C degrees) during the winter (June to August) at which time a dive skin or 3mm wetsuit should be sufficient for most divers.

Rental Dive Gear
FeBrina does not carry rental dive equipment, although a very small amount of gear and dive computers are kept on board for guests' use. Should you require the use of the boat's gear, please advise your requirements well in advance of your trip, so we can ensure there is suitable gear available. We highly recommend you bring your own mask, fins and boots to ensure your diving is as comfortable as possible. Spare wet suits and dive skins are NOT kept on board. Walindi Resort's dive shop has a limited supply of masks, boots and fins for sale. 
 

ITINERARY 2007

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