We dived at Sullivan Patch, a site we had dived a few years ago. Bob Halstead had told us of a crown of thorns infestation and anchor damage on the reef. The coral substrate was poor, especially around the shallower parts of the bommie, but the fish life was as spectacular as we remembered - mackerels, sharks, big eye trevally, fusiliers, anthias, surgeonfish - so incredible that we squeezed in one more dive before it was time for us to make our move towards Alotau.

Before leaving Alotau, we wrapped up our business there including a final meeting with the Chairman of the canoe festival regarding November’s events. This time we anchored a few miles further into the bay, in front of a drydock run by a Greek Cypriot called Julius and managed by a Cook Islander called Mannix. They became firm friends of Heraclitus and will be looking out for us on our return later in the year. The company is called Nawae Construction and they have been contracted all over PNG to build roads, bridges and put markers on many of the reefs we have dived. Julius hopes to revive the ship-building history of Milne Bay.

We departed, looking forward already to our retun here later in the year.

In our continuing exploration of the reefs of Milne Bay, we anchored at Byron Island for a night. We found incredible sea fan formations in the lagoon and a friendly group of fishermen camping on the island.

We met a pod of pilot whales on our way towards Rossel Islands. We approached them cautiously and they remained resting on the surface so we lowered the Zodiac to investigate a little closer. They stayed near to us for about two hours.

Before arriving at the Rossel Islands, our final destination in PNG, we stopped at a very small uninhabited island called Manuga Reefs. We kept Heraclitus at heave to while sending dives out to explore this remote and uninhabited outcrop. The reef was a sheer wall in places with healthy hard and soft coral cover. Rock piles were smothered in guano-creating blue-footed boobies.

above and below the waterline at Manuga Reefs