Star Dancer PNG

I'm looking for some comments on this boat as well as the dive destination
specifically Kimbe bay area.
Lawrence

Loved the boat; went to New Briton island on it a couple of years ago.
great diving

Hello,

I think that this area is the best place I've been diving. It's relatively
untouched by the outside world and has spectacular diving to show for it. I
was there 2002 and can't wait to go back. The Star Dancer is a very nice
boat with only one draw back. It rocks like wacko in rough weather. It was
dead calm in late October, so we didn't experience anything like that. I'm
only going by what the crew told me. The FeBrina also leaves form Walindi
part of the time and supposedly has a deeper hull and is very stable. I've
never personally seen it, so I'm only going by what I heard. The FeBrina
didn't have Nitrox when I went, so I didn't really consider it. Walindi is
also a very nice dive resort. One thing about this area is that it's
absolutely necessary to take anti-malaria medication. Everyone who lives on
New Britain gets malaria 4-5 times per year, I asked many people and
received the same answer from all of them. You WILL get bitten by
mosquitoes, no way around it. They don't swarm you, but they are there. I
think the best way to dive Kimbe Bay is to get to Walindi 3-4 days early
then get on the Star Dancer. The Star Dancer dives a few of the same places
as Walindi, so as soon as you meet the crew start telling them that you just
dived Walindi and don't want to see the same area twice. That's what we did
and we ended up going out to the Witu Islands, even though we were only on a
7 day trip. The diving is fantastic out there. I've got a trip report, if
you want me to send it to you just write me back by removing the NOSPAM in
my email address.

Brian


"Lawrence" <coralsea5@citlink.net> wrote in message
news:BC31505D.D3FC%coralsea5@citlink.net...
> I'm looking for some comments on this boat as well as the dive destination
> specifically Kimbe bay area.
> Lawrence
>

"Lawrence" <coralsea5@citlink.net> wrote in message
news:BC31505D.D3FC%coralsea5@citlink.net...
> I'm looking for some comments on this boat as well as the dive destination
> specifically Kimbe bay area.

Since FeBrina joined the Dancer fold is Kimbe still a Star Dancer
destination. I thought Star Dancer was doing the outer islands and Kaveing
while FeBrina was doing Kimbe.

"Mick McGeough" <ican'tgetn@satisfaction.com> wrote in message
news:g3UOb.8$mw4.26078@news.uswest.net...
>
> "Lawrence" <coralsea5@citlink.net> wrote in message
> news:BC31505D.D3FC%coralsea5@citlink.net...
> > I'm looking for some comments on this boat as well as the dive
destination
> > specifically Kimbe bay area.
>
> Since FeBrina joined the Dancer fold is Kimbe still a Star Dancer
> destination. I thought Star Dancer was doing the outer islands and Kaveing
> while FeBrina was doing Kimbe.
>

Mick,

Things are constantly changing in the PNG Dancer fleet. The past several
years of volcanic activity has forced much of the change in itinerary. Best
to check with the Dancer Fleet office for current itinerary.
Star Dancer is exploring a new southern PNG route this month. They want to
move the boat south during the rainy season. It seems that the weather in
the south is much better than up north during the rainy season....so if this
itinerary works out, it would give divers a shot at some of the really great
diving available on the southern reefs. (from a Dancer boat)
Great diving to be had in the south as well!

Forest Aten

"Forest Aten" <forestaten@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:YQUOb.100698$xy6.180576@attbi_s02...
>
>
> "Mick McGeough" <ican'tgetn@satisfaction.com> wrote in message
> news:g3UOb.8$mw4.26078@news.uswest.net...
> >
> > "Lawrence" <coralsea5@citlink.net> wrote in message
> > news:BC31505D.D3FC%coralsea5@citlink.net...
> > > I'm looking for some comments on this boat as well as the dive
> destination
> > > specifically Kimbe bay area.
> >
> > Since FeBrina joined the Dancer fold is Kimbe still a Star Dancer
> > destination. I thought Star Dancer was doing the outer islands and
Kaveing
> > while FeBrina was doing Kimbe.
> >
>
> Mick,
>
> Things are constantly changing in the PNG Dancer fleet. The past several
> years of volcanic activity has forced much of the change in itinerary.
Best
> to check with the Dancer Fleet office for current itinerary.
> Star Dancer is exploring a new southern PNG route this month. They want to
> move the boat south during the rainy season. It seems that the weather in
> the south is much better than up north during the rainy season....so if
this
> itinerary works out, it would give divers a shot at some of the really
great
> diving available on the southern reefs. (from a Dancer boat)
> Great diving to be had in the south as well!
>
> Forest Aten


Thanks Forest, interesting news about the Southern diving since this mean
Star Dancer probably would not be heading to Palau during PNG's rainy season
anymore.

"Brian Allen" <brallen467NOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:100oli69bm8vcb1@corp.supernews.com...

> Looking at their website it looks like Palau is out.

According to their page http://www.peterhughes.com/phstar/starsched03.htm it
was in Palau January thru April last year (it also did this every year since
the end of 1999). See that two week transit duration Palau to PNG? That's
how your Captain knew about this vessel in an open sea crossing :^)

This year's itinerary shows no Palau and a bunch of Walindi. I doubt that is
accurate...I suspect it will change over time. But as you say, probably not
back to Palau. It'd be pretty cool if as Forest reported they find the
southern diving good enough to do during the rainy season.

Wasn't your Captain in 2002 nick-named "Kiwi"?

"Mick McGeough" <ican'tgetn@satisfaction.com> wrote in message
news:zmZOb.72$mw4.55311@news.uswest.net...
>
> "Brian Allen" <brallen467NOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:100oli69bm8vcb1@corp.supernews.com...
>
> > Looking at their website it looks like Palau is out.
>
> According to their page http://www.peterhughes.com/phstar/starsched03.htm
it
> was in Palau January thru April last year (it also did this every year
since
> the end of 1999). See that two week transit duration Palau to PNG? That's
> how your Captain knew about this vessel in an open sea crossing :^)
>
> This year's itinerary shows no Palau and a bunch of Walindi. I doubt that
is
> accurate...I suspect it will change over time. But as you say, probably
not
> back to Palau. It'd be pretty cool if as Forest reported they find the
> southern diving good enough to do during the rainy season.
>
> Wasn't your Captain in 2002 nick-named "Kiwi"?

no


>
>
>

> > > Looking at their website it looks like Palau is out.
> >
> > According to their page
http://www.peterhughes.com/phstar/starsched03.htm
> it
> > was in Palau January thru April last year (it also did this every year
> since
> > the end of 1999). See that two week transit duration Palau to PNG?
That's
> > how your Captain knew about this vessel in an open sea crossing :^)
> >
> > This year's itinerary shows no Palau and a bunch of Walindi. I doubt
that
> is
> > accurate...I suspect it will change over time. But as you say, probably
> not
> > back to Palau. It'd be pretty cool if as Forest reported they find the
> > southern diving good enough to do during the rainy season.
> >
> > Wasn't your Captain in 2002 nick-named "Kiwi"?
>
> no
>

Brian,

Kiwi has been off the boat for a number of years now. (what a great captain)
He's been the captain of a "bright white" boat in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami
area since leaving the PHD fleet.
Palau is off the schedule for PHD. After the reefs in Palau took the beating
from coral bleaching, the number of divers traveling to this destination
slowed considerably. Business for both Peter's boat and the Aggressor boat
in Palau were very slow for several years. The last group I ran to Palau was
in the final year of the Sun Dancer's tour in Palau....this the season
before they moved it to Belize. The Aggressor hadn't been out on a charter
in three weeks at that time. (hard times for both boats) The hard coral was
not nearly as nice as in my previous trips. Quite a lot of algae had come in
behind the coral bleaching and things were really out of whack. I hear now
that the soft corals are looking great and that marine life is still first
rate. It's the stony corals that took the brunt of damage and really
suffered. It's been a number of years now, since this event, and I'm sure
that many of the faster growing hard corals have made a nice comeback. I've
heard that the "water weather" has been more favorable in recent years.

The diving up north is fantastic during the "rainy season". You just get
wet....very wet. But....you're likely to never find a calmer sea during the
rainy season. Flat, calm water. Photographers complain some....not as much
sunlight. PNG has so much to offer on land as well. The rain doesn't help
land excursions as day trips inland are fairly messy. Someone earlier in the
thread mentioned malaria....it is a very serious problem in PNG!! All
precautions should be taken! Any time of year....

Forest Aten

Forest,

Interesting that you mention that they are moving because of the rainy
season . They told me it's because the captain of the Fabrina has found some
really nice diving in the South ( I think they said the south ). Maybe it's
for both of those reasons.

So you found it to be pretty pristine? What was the viz?

Lawrence
> Mick,
>
> Things are constantly changing in the PNG Dancer fleet. The past several
> years of volcanic activity has forced much of the change in itinerary. Best
> to check with the Dancer Fleet office for current itinerary.
> Star Dancer is exploring a new southern PNG route this month. They want to
> move the boat south during the rainy season. It seems that the weather in
> the south is much better than up north during the rainy season....so if this
> itinerary works out, it would give divers a shot at some of the really great
> diving available on the southern reefs. (from a Dancer boat)
> Great diving to be had in the south as well!
>
> Forest Aten