Madang Diving

Madang diving gives you reefs, current-fed passages and WWII aircraft and ship wrecks within a short boat ride of a coastal town. Madang sits on the north coast of the PNG mainland, behind a lagoon dotted with small islands. The mix of sheltered lagoon dives and open-ocean sites outside the reef makes it an easy place to get a lot of variety without a liveaboard.

The setting

The town looks out over a lagoon protected by a chain of islands and reefs. Channels between them carry tidal water in and out of the lagoon, and that moving water feeds soft corals, sea fans and schooling fish. Outside the barrier, walls drop into deep water. Inside, the sites are calmer and shallower, with coral gardens and wrecks.

WWII wrecks

Madang was occupied by Japanese forces during the Second World War and saw heavy Allied bombing. Aircraft and ships lost in that campaign now lie around the lagoon and harbour. The best known is a B-25 Mitchell bomber resting on sand at recreational depth, its fuselage and engine housings now covered in soft corals and sponges. Other dives visit Japanese ships, landing craft and further aircraft wrecks at a range of depths.

As with all PNG wreck sites, treat them as historic places and sometimes graves. Look, photograph, and leave everything where it lies. For a whole trip built around wrecks, compare this with Rabaul wreck diving.

Reefs and passages

• Passages and channels. Tidal currents bring schooling fish, jacks, barracuda and reef sharks. Timing with the tide matters, and your guide will plan for it.
• Outer walls. Steep drop-offs with sea fans and soft corals, where turtles and pelagic fish are often seen.
• Lagoon reefs. Shallow coral gardens and bommies that work well for newer divers, snorkelling and night dives.
• Sand and rubble. Short muck sessions near shore turn up nudibranchs, ghost pipefish and frogfish.

Conditions

Water is warm all year. Visibility varies with tide and rain: outer sites are often clearer than inner lagoon ones. Passage dives can have strong current, so they suit divers comfortable with drift dives and reef hooks if the operator uses them. Wind and rain follow PNG's seasonal pattern; see the best time to dive Papua New Guinea.

How to dive Madang

Madang has its own airport with domestic flights from Port Moresby, and it is also reachable by road from the Highlands. Land-based operators run day boats to the lagoon, passages and wrecks, which makes Madang one of the easier places in PNG to dive without a liveaboard. Some liveaboard itineraries along the north coast also call there; see Papua New Guinea liveaboards.

Madang combines well with a Highlands visit before your dives (remember to fly or drive to altitude before diving, not after) or with a second region such as Kimbe Bay diving. The Papua New Guinea dive trip planning guide explains routes and timing.

Who Madang suits

Madang is a good choice if you want variety without a boat trip of a week or more: wreck fans, reef divers and photographers can all find something, and non-divers have a town and culture to explore. Divers newer to current can stay inside the lagoon while more experienced buddies dive the passages.

Altitude and diving

Madang is the natural gateway to the Highlands, and many travellers want to see both. Do the Highlands first if you can. Going up to altitude after diving, by road or by air, adds decompression stress: how much depends on how high you go, how soon, and the dives you have just done. Common guidance from DAN is to wait at least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive, at least 18 hours after several dives or several days of diving, and well over 24 hours after decompression dives before flying. Treat a drive up into the Highlands with the same caution, and ask your operator and dive computer about the altitude you plan to reach.

Madang diving FAQ