Eastern Fields Reef on MV Golden Dawn, Papua New Guinea

By Richard Booth

There can be few places left in todays heavily populated and over developed World where true wilderness diving opportunities still exist. The remote coral shoals of the Eastern Fields reef archipelago lie some 90 nautical miles southwest of Port Moresby out in the depths of the Coral Sea. Situated between Papua New Guinea and Australia this area seems to promise the possibility of true wilderness diving adventure. Covering an area of around 400 square miles, the Eastern Field's reef system emerges from waters that are over 1200 metres deep. Such an expanse of coral shoals situated in such a remote location means that the majority of these reefs have never been dived let alone properly explored. These shoals however can only be reached by ocean going vessels capable of making the long passage across the exposed open waters that lies between these reefs and the PNG mainland.

The MV Golden Dawn
Currently however there is only one PNG dive liveaboard boat that travels to the remote Eastern Fields on a regular seasonal basis, the MV Golden Dawn. This 24 metre motor yacht is very much aimed at the American dive market, so is furnished, equipped, and crewed to the highest luxury standards. Its Australian owner and skipper, the affable Craig de Wit, has lived and dived in PNG waters for many years, and is a well known and respected dive skipper in the PNG dive charter business.

The Golden Dawn is equipped with its own water desalination system, and a unique stabilisation system that is deployed from side slung booms whilst the vessel is at anchor and which is designed to ensure that guests enjoy a comfortable night's sleep, free from any disturbance caused by waves rocking the hull.

The 10 guests are accommodated in five air conditioned cabins, some of which have their own en-suite bathroom facilities.

The Golden Dawn is fully equipped with the latest GPS navigation and communication systems, allowing it to make extended offshore passages. In addition, the hull is also equipped with a gyroscopically controlled stabiliser system, designed to ensure the smoothest of passages whilst under way.

The Golden Dawn is equipped with twin powerful Braun air compressors, as well as the means to supply nitrox fills... Craig de Wit is a qualified rebreather and nitrox instructor and is able to offer a variety of IANTD technical dive courses to guests on dive charters. A number of Draeger Atlantis rebreather units are also available for hire to suitably qualified guests.

Craig is a keen underwater photographer, so has equipped his boat out to meet the needs of even the most demanding U/W photographers with fresh water rinsing tanks for removing corrosive salt crystals from u/w photographic equipment following dives. Voltage on board for recharging batteries and flashguns is 110 volt.

Food provided on charters is cooked to a high standard, and the galley is even equipped with a bread maker for that delicious fresh bread smell and taste. The crew is made up of enthusiastic locals, who go out of their way to ensure that the guests are looked after.

Eastern Fields dive sites

The shoals and reefs that make up the Eastern Fields rise up from deep water in the Torres Straits in the Northern part of the Coral Sea. Situated so far out to sea, the reefs are unaffected by factors such as river run off, resulting in fabulous underwater visibility, often reaching 50 metres or more. In addition, the Eastern Fields shoals lie to the north of the main cyclone zone, so these reefs do not receive the severe battering from these strong winds as other Coral Sea reefs situated further south in Australian waters... It is this unique combination of remoteness, clear water, strong currents, and protection from the extremes of the southern hemisphere weather system that results in pristine coral growth and abundant fish life. Covering such a large area of water means that in several days of diving you will only glimpse a little of the natural treasures that Eastern Fields has hidden within her depths. A typical charter is likely therefore to consist of a mixture of dives on established sites, and exploratory diving on some of the areas unexplored reefs...

Carls Ultimate:
Probably Eastern Fields most well known dive site, this sausage shaped reef is situated just inside the lagoon entrance at a reef channel. This site is usually at its best when the current is running through the channel, for that is when the many pelagic fish that frequent this reef are at their most active usually at the point where the current hits the reef. Barracuda, grey reef sharks, and big tuna can frequently be observed hunting in the current. On one dive on this site, a very large grouper emerged from the depths of the reef. This site also has a number of interesting caves as well as dramatic walls encrusted in beautiful corals. With so much to see at this site, several dives were completed on this one site alone.

Neptune's Garden:
A shallow site of around 13 metres depth normally completed as a night dive. This dive site consists of coral encrusted gulleys and a number of caves. Lots of interesting sea life can be found on this site, including flashlight fish, sleeping parrotfish, and numerous large grouper. Grey reef sharks sometimes appear in ones torch beam on night dives, which can be a little disconcerting if they come too close.

Eastern Passage:
Normally completed as a drift dive commencing with a rib ride to the lagoon side of the reef, the dive consists of a drift dive along the walls of the channel until you arrive at the open ocean side of the reef. The channel walls are lined with impressive fan corals. Good site for finding bumphead parrotfish.

Point P:
One of Eastern Fields classic pelagic dives. This dive site is at its best when the current is hitting the point. My log book records grey reef, whitetip, and silvertip sharks. Sometimes on early morning dives at this site, great hammerhead sharks have been observed, but sadly not on this trip.

Northern Passage:
Another channel dive that's cuts through from the outside coral reef through to the lagoon side. Lots of fish life was seen on this dive, but few sharks. The most noticeable feature of this dive is the stunning range of pristine corals that line the walls of these channels. In short, a beautiful scenic dive.

Shaw Thing:
This site is best described as a scenic dive on a large bommie. At 40 metres, there are a series of ledges under which can be found some distinctive pink coral. A good torch is required to view these corals at their best, given their depth. Swim out into the blue and you are likely to be surrounded by spiralling schools of barracuda above your head.

Condor Reef:
Another good dive when the current is running for close encounters with inquisitive sharks, not use to meeting divers. On this dive I observed grey reef, whitetip's and silvertip sharks. Other large predators such as dog tooth tuna were also observed hunting in the current stream.

No Woman's Reef:
An exploratory dive on the western side of the reef. Previously never dived before, this site had pristine hard corals, large schools of unicorn fish, as well as inqusitive sharks. Highlight of this dive was observing an impressively sized Jew fish, a veritable giant amongst the grouper family.

In summary, Eastern Fields has a number of world class dive sites. Its remoteness and the fact that it covers such a large expanse of water, offers the tantalising possibility of exploring and discovering new world class sites on virgin reefs. Much of the area has never been dived before, so remains largely unexplored.

The underwater visibility on some of these reefs has to be seen to be believed, sometimes reaching 60 metres plus. The combination of strong tidal currents, bright sunshine and clear water, has resulted in perfect conditions for coral growth. You are guaranteed to see huge undamaged fan corals, beautiful and colourful soft corals, as well as areas of pristine hard corals. Search hard amongst the branches of the soft corals and small gobies and shrimps can be found. The reefs have healthy communities of reef fish, and these in turn draw in a huge range of pelagic hunters that cruise the currents that sweep across these reefs.

Situated away from main shipping routes, there are no known ship wrecks, so Eastern Fields diving is unlikely to appeal to hardcore wreck divers. Instead however it offers a rich feast of beautiful scenic dives and a wealth of undersea life.

Eastern Fields dive season.

Currently there is only one liveaboard, the MV Golden Dawn that travels to the Eastern Fields. However, this vessel only makes a limited number of charters per year to this area. Generally the Eastern Fields charter season runs from late November through to March of the following years, a total of about 7 charters in all. From March onwards, the Golden Dawn heads north to the waters of Milne Bay, Kavieng and Mandang...

In late November, the water temperature was a steady 28 centigrade, warm enough for a Darlex skin suit, or 3mm wetsuit.

The Golden Dawn commences her Eastern Fields charters from a marina just outside of Port Moresby. In the case of out charter, a number of shakedown dives were also completed on various wrecks and reefs in the waters just off Port Moresby, prior to making the passage across to the Eastern Fields.

Required dive experience.
Diving in the Eastern Fields frequently involves strong currents in a very remote location far from immediate help. It is not an area for the feint hearted or the foolhardy. The clear waters combined with the adrenalin of exciting pelagic encounters means that individuals have to constantly monitor their depth and decompression status. Whilst the Golden Dawn carries a considerable quantity of medical oxygen, a casualty with a decompression hit will inevitably result in the boat being forced to return to Port Moresby to seek further treatment. Individuals considering making the most of the dive opportunities offered by the reefs of Eastern Fields should therefore be self reliant, feel comfortable in open water tidal conditions and confidant in the use of decompression computers. For those suitably qualified, Nitrox is also available for a small extra cost per dive. Diving is conducted either from the Golden Dawn itself, or in more exposed conditions via the two rigid inflatable boats that are carried onboard.

Health
Whilst out in the Eastern Fields, malaria which is a serious health problem on the PNG mainland is not an issue. However, to reach the boat you have to pass through Port Moresby where there is a potential risk of coming into contact with malaria. Lariam is the recommended anti -malarial prophylaxis for this region, although this drug is not usually recommended to be taken whilst engaged in diving activities, as some of side effects in certain individuals can appear very similar to decompression illness symptoms. In my own case, after consultation with my own GP, I was prescribed a course of Doxycycline which I took with no apparent ill effects... whilst the Port Moresby area has less of a malaria problem than other coastal areas in PNG, it is still a wise precaution to follow basic malaria prevention guidelines, by taking the prescribed prophylaxis in the recommended dosage, using insect repellents, and ensuring that areas of exposed skin are covered up between dusk and dawn, by wearing long sleeved shirts and long trousers. Adequate medical insurance which covers diving related injuries as well as the costs of a medical evacuation in the event of a serious emergency is a must.

Time:
PNG is 10 hours ahead of GMT.

Travel to and from PNG

In my own case I flew London Heathrow to Singapore, where I transferred to an Air Niugini flight to Jackson International Airport at Port Moresby. A tourist visa can be obtained at this airport upon arrival for 100 Kino. However, some UK agents recommend obtaining a visa from the PNG Embassy in advance of the departure date of the trip. Further advise on this matter can be obtained on current visa requirements from the official PNG tourist website Or by further discussion with your booking agent.

MV Golden Dawn website and contact details:
Website
Email: inquiry@mvgoldendawn.com

UK based Agents for MV Golden Dawn:
In my own case the above charter was booked through
Maldives Scuba Tours. Tel +44 01449 780220
Email: info@scubascuba.com
Website

Scuba Safaris. Tel +4401342851196
Email: info@scuba-safaris.com
Website

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