Loloata Island scuba diving features

wrecks

lacy scorpionfish

muck diving

soft corals

DESTINATION OVERVIEW
Loloata Island Resort is located in Bootless Bay just a few minutes from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. It has a reputation for being a muck and critter diving destination and many, if not most of the divers that go there, go to see the Rhinopias aphanes or lacy scorpionfish. This area is recognised as being about the only place where seeing this particular Rhinopias species is pretty much guaranteed.

The dive site at End Bommie is a spectacular reef smothered in olive tubastrea, purple and white soft corals and incredible numbers of anthias darting in and out. And of course, the lacy scorpionfish is there as promised. And this is is one gorgeous fish.

While Loloata's critter reputation is undisputed, the waters of Bootless Bay are also littered with substantial wrecks. Both the MV Pai II and the Pacific Gas wrecks are great dives. Encrusted by tubastrea, soft corals and fans in all sorts of colours, they support a mass of anthias and glass fish. Longnose hawkfish and pipefish nestle on the hulls and there are gangs of pelagic fish. For night dives, nearby Lion Island is home to a much smaller wreck that rages with tiny interesting critters – shrimp, shells, nudibranchs and ghost pipefish. Snake eels and octopus inhabit the sandy sea bed.

Seasons
Year round.
Visibility:
10 - 50+ metres
Water temperature:
25 – 30º C.
Deco chambers: Port Moresby

Flights via Australian east coast cities or from Singapore.
Accommodation
Loloata Island Resort

PROS AND CONS
Flying to PNG is expensive. There is little mass tourism so few flights in and out of the country and that keeps the prices high. However, this is also the countries greatest advantage – there will never be hoards of other dive boats moored up over your site.

SCUBA DIVING
Right across Papua New Guinea the diving is spectacular. Lying across the bottom edge of the Coral Triangle, there are 40,000 square kilometres of coral reefs and species diversity is extremely high. Conditions vary by region but tend to be easy. The water at Loloata is a little cooler than other PNG diving destinations due to currents coming up from the south.

OPINION
We knew exactly what we expected when we headed for Loloata Resort in Papua New Guinea – critter diving – but we didn't get it. Or perhaps we should say we got that but we also got so much more. Apart from all the magnificent critters in every shape, size and colour, and the fantastic Rhinopias aphanes, there were incredible, lush reefs bursting with fish and some really interesting wrecks.