Dive Review of Tufi Dive in
Papua New Guinea/Oro Province, Tufi

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Tufi Dive: "Tufi Resort is fantastic", Feb, 2015, by Kriss Kirchhoff, ID, US ( 2 reports). Report 8140.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Of all of the many places I've been, Tufi Dive Resort is among the top three. On my first dive I met the white hammerhead shark I'd heard of before arriving. I was skeptical but it's there and very cool. I saw it on a follow up dive to the same site. I stayed at Tufi for 9 nights and dove 8 days. I only repeated two dives on my last day as I was offered my choice. The coral on the Tufi area reefs was the healthiest and most diverse I've seen. And I'm a coral snob. The food chain on these reef's was correspondingly rich and intact with abundant sharks and each trophic level well represented. Billions, and billions of fish, clouds, schools, swarms. Deep clear blue water and colorful life everywhere. Some of the pristine reefs I dove had not had divers on them in a few years. This, I learned from Archie, one of the senior divemasters, is a practice they've instituted to enable reef inhabitants to de-habituate to having divers around. They rotate reefs into no-dive status to preserve the ecosystem and fish behavior. It was very evident on the reefs that I dove that had not seen divers in a few years that the fish behavior was very different - especially the sharks. I give the resort kudos for this program. Tufi resort has this region to themselves with no other dive operations in this area. While the region has not been formally designated a marine protected area (which I hope they take on) they do work with the military and local law enforcement to chase encroaching commercial fishing vessels away whenever they catch them. I dove with small groups while I was there, with one or two other divers on the boat. The resort, however, is well equipped for larger groups. The boats are well maintained and newer than many in Asia and the Pacific Islands, with DanO2 kits, GPS, radio, and cell phones. Solid operational procedures on the boat serve to reinforce good dive safety. The dive guides are exceptional. Archie, Alex, Dias, Moses, and Wesley were friendly, knowledgeable, and very accomodating to our experienced complement of divers. On one of the eight days I dove I was the only diver and there was no compromise in the service or selection of reefs. While there, my BCD experienced an issue that required resewing the weight pocket velcro. They happily took care of this overnight. I enjoyed diving with this team of guides all of whom are local PNG natives and real assets to the resort. The resort itself functioned flawlessly. The routine for divers is well practiced, functional, and comfortable. Wayne and Debbie, the resort husband and wife managers are doing a great job. The food service was good, the local staff great, and the bar at night a memorable place to hang out and socialize before dinner. I've been gone a week and miss it already. The resort sits on a cliff overlooking views of the open ocean and the region's beautiful fjords at the base of ancient volcanoes covered in mist. Amazing views and photos to remember it all. To get down to the diveshop at the harbor below the resort you can either walk or the staff will drive you down in their LandCruiser. It all works quite well and takes just a few minutes either way. The accommodations are basic but well kept and nice. My bathroom could have used a remodel but it was functional. And the views :) A small and attractive pool provides a nice alternative for an afternoon cooldown. The resort offers many alternatives to diving. Cultural tours, village tours, homestays, trekking, canoeing, ocean swimming, bird watching and photography (with expert local guide William), and on and on. For the most part I focused on diving but did take a cultural tour on my no-dive day which was well done and authentic. Great pictures and video. This was truly a great experience. I've long tried to avoid going back to places I've been just because the list of places to explore is so long. This was the first time I was planning my return trip before I'd even left.
Websites	Tufi Dive
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Raja Ampat, Manado, Bunaken, Lembeh, Sipadan, Yap, Palau, Truk Lagoon, Fiji, Philippines, Lissenung PNG, Similan Islands, Monterey CA, Kona, Baltic Sea, Lake Michigan, Bonaire, Cozumel, Curacao, Aruba, Caymans, etc, etc.
Closest Airport	Tufi	Getting There	Port Moresby
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	81-84°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	100-200 Ft/ 30-61 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive briefings ask divers to stay within standard recreational limits. Divers are instructed that if they choose to deviate they should follow their computers. Very comfortable, flexible diving.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	I'm not a hard core UWP but frequently dive with some of the best. This resort lacks dedicated camera facilities beyond ample space in your room to spread out your gear. So for those expecting a dedicated photography area you won't find it here. Having said that, it did not hamper anyone there during my stay. Most divers were using some level of underwater still and video camera. This included two professional photographers doing a promotional video on the area for the Papua New Guinea tourism office. No one was at all impaired. The dive shop has several tables set up for divers to stage gear before and after dives. Overnight though you will have to use your room. The guides were very helpful on the boats handing cameras in and out of the water and did have a dedicated camera rinse tank on the boat.

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Dive Review of Tufi Dive in Papua New Guinea/Oro Province, Tufi

Tufi Dive: "Tufi Resort is fantastic", Feb, 2015,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Tufi Dive in
Papua New Guinea/Oro Province, Tufi