DiversWorld's all new PNG trips...

'Oro' means welcome and is usually accompanied by a smear of blackened soot and pig grease across your forearm, banishing any evil spirits that might be travelling on your shoulder. With the spirit world appeased you follow the tribal elders up into the hillside and the sacred caves where young girls lay, head on their mothers laps while complex designs are drawn across their faces - a past precursor to the trial of tattooing with sharpened spines tapped into their adolescent faces mingling the small pinpricks of blood with the pigments to form a permanent mask.

This haunting journey back through time was just one of the many land-based activities run by Papua New Guinea's premier resort Tufi, perched high on the cliffs above its very own coral fringed fjord. With jungle treks to World War II plane wrecks, ancient villages and cascading falls it's barely an hour's flight from Port Moresby across the iconic Kokoda Track complete with its own airfield, canopied pool and sprawling tropical decks.

All luxurious, laid back and oh so tempting but it was the water-based activities that had drawn us to this tropical paradise only a few hours from Cairns.

With pristine reefs dropping down into the depths of the Solomon Sea, the water clarity is simply staggering, drawing divers from around the world.

These barely explored waters are a paradise of pelagic predators and we watched gob-smacked as as torpedo-like tuna charged streams of swirling bait fish while giant trout and jacks speared up out of their coral hides to claim any hapless survivors. Further out, ever-circling razor teethed mackerel darted in for their share of the abundant marine banquet.

This is Tufi - Papua New Guinea's hidden underwater jewel.

It's also the location for DiversWorld's new PNG Spearfishing charters, due take off shortly out of Cairns and Brisbane and recently saw DiversWorld's Paul Goodall visiting with Tufi Resort's owners, Tony and Linda Honey to develop some fantastic flight, stay & dive spearfishing packages due to be launched at the end of this month.

'We're all very excited about the new PNG trips, said Paul. In partnership with Tufi, it enables us to provide a fantastic holiday experience for both divers and non divers alike.

You can laze about the pool sipping a tropical cocktail; paddle a canoe up into the fjord; explore the jungles, local culture and wildlife or dive, spear or snorkel the many reefs and outlaying drop-offs - whatever your interest, the spearfishing charters are going to have something for everyone'.

With our spearfishing charters to Holmes Reef growing in popularity, stay tuned for more information as we shortly launch the new PNG packages together with our new online charter booking system. For the time being, contact Paul or Quinn to book your Holmes Reef berth or to register your interest for our PNG Tufi Spearfishing charters.

Check out PNG's fabulous Tufi Resort

Click here for more information & booking