Kimbe Bay

Verified2026-09-30 checkedReefWallMacro

Sixty per cent of the coral species of the entire Indo-Pacific, in one bay.

Depth: 5–40 m16–131 ft
Difficulty: Intermediate
Entry: Boat · Liveaboard
Typical current: Moderate
Coordinates: 5°13.002′S 150°4.998′E
Activities: Scuba · Freediving

Kimbe Bay on New Britain holds an estimated 60% of the coral species found in the whole Indo-Pacific, and about half the world's total, in a bay you can cross in an hour. The seamounts rise from 500 m to within five metres of the surface and are covered to the top: Bradford Shoals, Inglis Shoal, Restorf Island. There is no crowd — Papua New Guinea gets a fraction of the divers Indonesia does — and the reefs show it. Volcanoes stand over the bay on three sides, which is also why the soil is good and the coast is populated.

Fly to Hoskins via Port Moresby, then 45 minutes by road to Kimbe. Resorts and liveaboards both operate.

Best season

ExcellentApr–May
ExcellentOct–Nov
GoodDec–Mar
GoodJun–Sep

Before you get in

Past 30 m, where no-stop time and gas both go quickly and nitrogen narcosis starts to show.
A wall. There is no bottom in sight to judge against, so depth is kept by the gauge alone — and it is easy to end up deeper than intended.

Taken from this site’s recorded depth, type and current, and nothing else. An empty list is not a safe site — the sea on the day, the local geography and the boat traffic are not in it. The briefing on the spot comes first.

Conditions

Water temperature: 28.6°C83°F
Wave height: 0.2 m1 ft
Air temperature: 25.1°C77°F
Wind speed: 5.6 km/h3.5 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 16:15 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/8

Low09:040.22 m
High16:150.76 m
Low21:540.46 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Staghorn coralAcropora spp.Common
Soft coralDendronephthya spp.Common
Pygmy seahorseHippocampus bargibantiCommon
Blackfin barracudaSphyraena qenieCommon
Bigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusCommon
Moorish idolZanclus cornutusCommon
Feather starCrinoideaCommon
Clark’s anemonefishAmphiprion clarkiiCommon
Giant clamTridacna gigasCommon
NudibranchNudibranchiaCommon
Harlequin sweetlipsPlectorhinchus chaetodonoidesRare

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

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