SOLOMON ISLANDS
The 922 islands and atolls that make up the Solomons offer endlessly diverse possibilities for diving. However, the best known sites will be accessed from live-aboard itineraries and shore resorts in such towns as Munda and Gizo.
The Munda area offers a dramatic drop-off at Shark Point, complete with reef sharks, Eagle Rays and large pelagics. A Japanese freighter wreck is easily accessible in shallow water. Rainbow Passage has coral gardens and a gorgonian-covered wall.

The Gizo area includes a wreck dive on the Toa Maru, a 400-foot freighter lying on its side in shallow depths. You can still find WW II ammunition in the holds. There are two wartime plane wrecks, a Hellcat and a Corsair, and a fish gathering place called Grand Central Station, where rays, sharks, barracuda and even dolphins visit. Kennedy Island is the place where a young John F. Kennedy and crew swam ashore when their PT boat sank. There is also a shallow reef and drop-off.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA
When it comes to the wild, primitive and pristine, Papua New Guinea is the poster boy. The remote, jungled highlands harken back to pre-history, and the indigenous people there have hardly been touched by the modern world. Underwater, the power of nature also holds sway, claiming numerous wrecks and presenting the diver with all the big fish action and colorful, exotic species that can be imagined. Live-aboards are the best way to experience PNG diving.

Some of the most famous diving is found in Milne Bay, at the island of New Britain. Here you will find lots of macro critters, crinoids, Lionfish and reef sharks. If you look closely, you might see a Pygmy Seahorse. Volcanic gas bubbles appear through the reefs, and you may even encounter a Whale Shark, Pilot Whale or Orca.

Other areas include Kavieng, which offers sharks, schools of jacks and even tuna. Madang is a favorite for nudibranchs.

Loloata Island is also known for Pygmy Seahorses, clouds of baitfish and numerous cleaning stations, where tiny shrimp get up-close and personal with their fish patients.

GREAT BARRIER REEF
Off the Queensland coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef casts its magic for 1,200 miles. One of the first legends of diving, it is known as the “world’s largest living organism.” In reality, it’s a gigantic ecosystem, made up of multitudes of interdependent species. It is estimated there are more than 2,000 different species of fish here, and 4,000 species of invertebrates. There are numerous different environments created by the coral reef, sand patches, and the shoals and mud between the reef and its islands. Underwater visibility can vary greatly because of wave action, runoff and plankton, but Great Barrier Reef diving is always thrilling.

GBR diving is accessed through dive operations in the larger coastal cities of Queensland, including Cairns, Townsville and Gladstone. Live-aboards also visit the best sites in this area. At the southern end of the GBR is Heron Island, where you’ll find sea snakes, Eagle Rays, Manta Rays and sharks. Farther north are the Whitsunday Islands, where you get all the usual attractions plus the possibility of a Humpback Whale encounter. Farther up is the famous Yongala wreck. Even farther north, at the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, are a string of sites called the Ribbon Reefs. Their proximity to the open ocean ensures good visibility and encounters with large animals, including Minke Whales. At Ribbon Reef number 10 is the world famous Cod Hole, with its resident Potato Cod.
Moving eastward from the Great Barrier Reef proper are the atolls and reefs of the Coral Sea. Holmes Reef offers sheer walls, swim-throughs and pinnacles. Agincourt Reef is a complex of smaller reefs, and Bougainville Reef offers moored sights and drift dives. Osprey Reef is well known for its shark feedings.