Wreck
down to 17 m
Zero Wreck
- Open Water
Kimbe Bay
Diving in Papua New Guinea
7 documented dive sites, 2 of them for Open Water divers. Known for grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks and dolphins.
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Nov
- Water
- 27–31 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
- Nearest airport
- HKN
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Kimbe Bay in October
Best season- Sea
- 31 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 29 °C
- 26 °C at night
- Rain
- 240 mm
- one of the driest months
- Wind
- 8 km/h
- on average
The warmest water of the year.
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Diving is good all year; best Sep–Nov (calm seas, best visibility). May–Jun is warmest (~31 °C, 20 m+ visibility), Jan–Mar is calm but visibility drops to ~15 m, and Jul–Aug trade winds can bring rough seas.
Dive sites in Kimbe Bay
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m2 sitesFor Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m3 sitesReef
down to 23 m
Ann Sophie's Reef
A large reef rising from sand at 23 m to about 5 m, where grey reef sharks and turtles are seen on most dives.
- Advanced
- Grey reef sharks
Reef
down to 32 m
Vanessa's Reef
A reef ridge at 18-22 m, an easy dive with lots of time to explore.
- Advanced
Pinnacle
down to 27 m
Bradford Shoals
- Advanced
- Grey reef sharks
For experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m2 sitesMarine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
Reported here, season not documented yet:
- Grey reef sharks
- Whitetip reef sharks
- Dolphins
- Turtles
- Barracuda
- Trevally
- Pygmy seahorses
- Batfish
- Corals
- Blacktip reef sharks
- Hammerhead sharks
- Silvertip sharks
- Orcas
- Sperm whales
- Dugong
Where is Kimbe Bay?
- Nearest airport
- HKN
Kimbe Bay: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Kimbe Bay?
- The best months to dive Kimbe Bay are May–Jun, Sep–Nov. Diving is good all year; best Sep–Nov (calm seas, best visibility). May–Jun is warmest (~31 °C, 20 m+ visibility), Jan–Mar is calm but visibility drops to ~15 m, and Jul–Aug trade winds can bring rough seas.
- Is Kimbe Bay good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 2 of the 7 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Zero Wreck and Walindi Tugboat. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Kimbe Bay?
- The water is usually between 27 °C and 31 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Kimbe Bay?
- Divers regularly see grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, dolphins, turtles, barracuda and trevally.
- How do you dive Kimbe Bay?
- The nearest airport is HKN.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash