A serious trip...
OK, sorry about the delay but as some of you folks may know Cam's new job requires him to work with many of the diving and tourism operators around PNG. Recently this bought one of his bosses from San Francisco to the wilds of PNG in order to show Cam the ropes of the training he had to deliver and to suffer the agony of a slipped disc in true developing world style.
So after a brief introduction in Alotau, Cam and Rick were off to West New Britain to conduct some training: sure there may have been a little bit of a cancelled flight, an overnight in Moresby with a 4am start, a very scary landing and a very nervous wait for our connecting flight in pretty much the only non-diving coastal city (Lae) in the country and a group of highlands Huli wigmen (pictured) but we got there in the end...with about 2 hours to spare before the training. The location was Mahonia Na Dari a local ngo based near Walindi Plantation Dive Resort, just as Walindi does great diving Mahonia does some seriously great marine conservation education.
As a testament to the professionalism of our two protagonists (and despite all of these prior setbacks) the training went very well. Over two nights people were schooled and tooled with the basics of: coral reef ecology, the economics of coastal and diving tourism, sustainability and marketing and they also got into some serious practical work on threats to the local reef environment (and solutions to counter these threats) as well as some practical tips on minimizing the impacts of diving on the reef environment. I think in particular people throughly enjoyed having some practice delivering environmental dive briefs (even those who haven't been in the water for a long time).
Now this training and workshop seemed to go down well with the shore-based dive team from Walinidi pictured...
However something that Cam managed to see with these guys while out on the water between the two nights of training made him a little less popular with some of his old acquaintances on the live aboard "FeBrina"...
Yeah that's right although it is admittedly a crappy picture, Cam's second Whale-shark sighting for the year made some folks who spend a lot of their time in the water up there and who have never seen one just an incy-wincy bit jealous... but what can you do? I guess they'll just have to be content with these little couple who they apparently see quite regularly.
Unfortunately for Rick whilst Cam was out spotting spotties, Rick's lower lumbar region was going into spasms. Given that the next leg of the trip (Kavieng) is a small provincial town which neither of us had visited before, an executive decision was made that perhaps taking a serious back injury to a unknown, unvisited and lets face it quite remote location was not the best idea. Following some hurried, pained and productive medium term planning (as well as another 4 am airport run!) Rick and Cam went their separate ways one towards physiotherapy and the other into the wild blue unknown.
So having passed Rabaul and its associated erupting volcano Mt. Tavurvur, (yeah look really that's all your gunna get about the volcano). Cam made it into Kavieng bumping into surfers / divers from of all places Maroubra and Bronte on his flight, it really is a small and freaky little world.
A warm welcome to a beautiful place was given by a number of the folkies based in Kavieng, they were as disappointed as Cam was nervous that Rick couldn't make it, but once he assured them that he was much more handsome then Rick anyway they seemed to be somewhat mollified (sorry Rick just checking if your reading all of this).
After a lovely sunset and an introductory dinner at the beautiful Nusa Island, meeting staff and management of a few of the tourism operations in town, Cam was abed and nervous about what the next day would hold.
As is turned out it was to hold a deep dive on WWII aircraft wreck... and with decompression schedules to worry about Cam didn't really have a chance to "bugger up" the workshop by worrying about it too much.
But before we pass the wreck by that easily Cam has to go into this one a in a little more detail: as many of the family and folks may know Cam was a serious plane and military history buff during childhood, making all of the plastic models etc. This dive was the first chance he has had to see a plane wreck underwater, though again the photos aren't great (deep, little light, strong current and generally I need a nicer camera...) it was pretty exciting to see the Mitsubishi "Pete" float-biplane on its back in 38m of the bluest water I've ever seen. It was one of many sunk / wrecked when the Americans attacked the Japanese forces (~22,000 strong) who had been garrisoned in Kavieng. There are heaps of interesting stories about this place (both about the war and local legends) and there are also plenty of wrecks and reefs to dive in beautiful clear blue water. Is it necessary to say that Cam enjoyed himself?
As to the workshop it went (and this may be a slightly biased opinion) very well.
The same content with another active and interesting group of people was brought about some really positive learning for all, even the teacher. What was disturbing however was learning about the problems associated with unsustainable fishing practices in New Ireland Province. Many of these problems unfortunately stem from fisheries "development" projects with big aid money behind them being diverted from their planned course by factors which were not apparent to the consultants who flew in set them up and then flew out... leaving a trail of destruction... but anyway Cam played (and is playing) his part to try to get things happening in a sustainable manner. Still a little unsure about how we are going to get around the turtle's in commercial quantities that had been caught and were being loaded into a Police Vehicle...
After some more meetings including one with this cute little lady...
Cam was on his way out of Kavieng and heading back towards port moresby... but this post is already long enough and we'll have to save Port Moresby, and its wreck and reef dives for a little later... In the mean time Cam's big thanks to Rick, the crew in Kimbe and the crew in Kavieng you are all awsome.
So after a brief introduction in Alotau, Cam and Rick were off to West New Britain to conduct some training: sure there may have been a little bit of a cancelled flight, an overnight in Moresby with a 4am start, a very scary landing and a very nervous wait for our connecting flight in pretty much the only non-diving coastal city (Lae) in the country and a group of highlands Huli wigmen (pictured) but we got there in the end...with about 2 hours to spare before the training. The location was Mahonia Na Dari a local ngo based near Walindi Plantation Dive Resort, just as Walindi does great diving Mahonia does some seriously great marine conservation education.
As a testament to the professionalism of our two protagonists (and despite all of these prior setbacks) the training went very well. Over two nights people were schooled and tooled with the basics of: coral reef ecology, the economics of coastal and diving tourism, sustainability and marketing and they also got into some serious practical work on threats to the local reef environment (and solutions to counter these threats) as well as some practical tips on minimizing the impacts of diving on the reef environment. I think in particular people throughly enjoyed having some practice delivering environmental dive briefs (even those who haven't been in the water for a long time).
Now this training and workshop seemed to go down well with the shore-based dive team from Walinidi pictured...
However something that Cam managed to see with these guys while out on the water between the two nights of training made him a little less popular with some of his old acquaintances on the live aboard "FeBrina"...
Yeah that's right although it is admittedly a crappy picture, Cam's second Whale-shark sighting for the year made some folks who spend a lot of their time in the water up there and who have never seen one just an incy-wincy bit jealous... but what can you do? I guess they'll just have to be content with these little couple who they apparently see quite regularly.
Unfortunately for Rick whilst Cam was out spotting spotties, Rick's lower lumbar region was going into spasms. Given that the next leg of the trip (Kavieng) is a small provincial town which neither of us had visited before, an executive decision was made that perhaps taking a serious back injury to a unknown, unvisited and lets face it quite remote location was not the best idea. Following some hurried, pained and productive medium term planning (as well as another 4 am airport run!) Rick and Cam went their separate ways one towards physiotherapy and the other into the wild blue unknown.
So having passed Rabaul and its associated erupting volcano Mt. Tavurvur, (yeah look really that's all your gunna get about the volcano). Cam made it into Kavieng bumping into surfers / divers from of all places Maroubra and Bronte on his flight, it really is a small and freaky little world.
A warm welcome to a beautiful place was given by a number of the folkies based in Kavieng, they were as disappointed as Cam was nervous that Rick couldn't make it, but once he assured them that he was much more handsome then Rick anyway they seemed to be somewhat mollified (sorry Rick just checking if your reading all of this).
After a lovely sunset and an introductory dinner at the beautiful Nusa Island, meeting staff and management of a few of the tourism operations in town, Cam was abed and nervous about what the next day would hold.
As is turned out it was to hold a deep dive on WWII aircraft wreck... and with decompression schedules to worry about Cam didn't really have a chance to "bugger up" the workshop by worrying about it too much.
But before we pass the wreck by that easily Cam has to go into this one a in a little more detail: as many of the family and folks may know Cam was a serious plane and military history buff during childhood, making all of the plastic models etc. This dive was the first chance he has had to see a plane wreck underwater, though again the photos aren't great (deep, little light, strong current and generally I need a nicer camera...) it was pretty exciting to see the Mitsubishi "Pete" float-biplane on its back in 38m of the bluest water I've ever seen. It was one of many sunk / wrecked when the Americans attacked the Japanese forces (~22,000 strong) who had been garrisoned in Kavieng. There are heaps of interesting stories about this place (both about the war and local legends) and there are also plenty of wrecks and reefs to dive in beautiful clear blue water. Is it necessary to say that Cam enjoyed himself?
As to the workshop it went (and this may be a slightly biased opinion) very well.
The same content with another active and interesting group of people was brought about some really positive learning for all, even the teacher. What was disturbing however was learning about the problems associated with unsustainable fishing practices in New Ireland Province. Many of these problems unfortunately stem from fisheries "development" projects with big aid money behind them being diverted from their planned course by factors which were not apparent to the consultants who flew in set them up and then flew out... leaving a trail of destruction... but anyway Cam played (and is playing) his part to try to get things happening in a sustainable manner. Still a little unsure about how we are going to get around the turtle's in commercial quantities that had been caught and were being loaded into a Police Vehicle...
After some more meetings including one with this cute little lady...
Cam was on his way out of Kavieng and heading back towards port moresby... but this post is already long enough and we'll have to save Port Moresby, and its wreck and reef dives for a little later... In the mean time Cam's big thanks to Rick, the crew in Kimbe and the crew in Kavieng you are all awsome.
posted by Jane & Cam at
1:32 pm
1 Comments:
Hi guys,
Excellent adventures a plenty down there...and great photos as always. Glad it's all going so well.
Cam, do stonefish wear a permanent frown or have they been known to smile occasionally? Those two little guys look so sad.....or scared.
Adam & Ness
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