Deacon's Reef

Deacon's Reef lies on a headland beside Lauadi village, on the Solomon Sea side of the peninsula that forms Milne Bay's north coast. The richest part is a shelf of about 10 to 12 m under an overhanging rainforest canopy, where big sea fans, green Tubastrea coral trees, red whip corals and barrel sponges grow among swarms of anthias. Along the shore the cliff is eroded into caves, overhangs and swim-throughs, and further out a series of shallow gullies and passages leads to a slope that falls away quickly into deep water. That deep water brings occasional hammerheads, whale sharks and mantas into view. Photographer Don Silcock ranks it among the very best sites in Papua New Guinea, and Dive Adventures calls it a spectacular wide-angle dive.