Scuba Diving in Fathers Reefs (between New Britain & New Ireland)

About Fathers Reefs (between New Britain & New Ireland)

The Fathers Reefs are a chain of isolated seamounts strung between New Britain and New Ireland, famous among experienced divers for their extreme pelagic action and biganimal encounters. The flagship Pinnacle (Fathers #1) is a deep-water seamount where, in season, scalloped hammerheads school in the blue alongside silvertip sharks, dogtooth tuna, and barracuda tornadoes, all set against a backdrop of massive gorgonians and roaring currents. Coral Gardens (Fathers #2) offers a gentler contrast with vibrant hard and soft corals, turtles, and snappers, while the Manta Cleaning Station (Fathers #3) delivers reliable manta encounters over the cleaning hosts. These sites are almost exclusively the domain of liveaboards such as the MV FeBrina, and they demand respect for depth, current, and the open ocean.

Highlights

• ✓Pinnacle (Fathers #1): a deep seamount with seasonal schooling scalloped hammerheads, silvertips, and barracuda tornadoes.
• ✓Coral Gardens (Fathers #2): shallower reefs with vibrant corals, turtles, morays, and large snapper schools.
• ✓Manta Cleaning Station (Fathers #3): reliable manta rays hovering over cleaning stations with reef sharks and eagle rays.

Getting There

The Fathers Reefs lie in open ocean between New Britain and New Ireland and are reached only by liveaboard, most commonly the MV FeBrina out of Walindi. The seamounts are a long run from the mainland, so trips are scheduled around slack-tide windows and can involve early starts and blue-water crossings. Domestic flights from Port Moresby to Hoskins connect with the liveaboard embarkation.