Set along the shoreline of a sprawling oil-palm plantation in the West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea, Walindi Plantation Resort has provided divers with a comfortable base from which to explore the undeveloped and practically untouched coastline of Kimbe Bay for nearly three decades.

The main accommodations are 12 serene, standalone bungalows strung along a walkway that winds through a lush landscape of palm trees and hibiscus blossoms. As a budget option, guests can also

Set along the shoreline of a sprawling oil-palm plantation in the West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea, Walindi Plantation Resort has provided divers with a comfortable base from which to explore the undeveloped and practically untouched coastline of Kimbe Bay for nearly three decades.

The main accommodations are 12 serene, standalone bungalows strung along a walkway that winds through a lush landscape of palm trees and hibiscus blossoms. As a budget option, guests can also opt to stay in one of four plantation-house rooms, which share a common area. All rooms have private baths with hot water (pumped through the resort's own water-purification system, making it safe to drink), kettles with tea and coffee, ceiling fans, and daily laundry service included in the rate.

Meals loaded with locally harvested seafood, vegetables, and beef are served communally three times a day in the main dining area. The air-conditioned lounge features wireless Internet. And a well-stocked bar overlooks the bay and the small swimming pool.

But of course, the main reason to come all the way to New Britain Island is the diving. Situated in a section of the South Pacific called "The Coral Triangle," Kimbe Bay boasts an incredible diversity of marine life among an equally diverse collection of dive sites.

Near to the resort, on the inside of the bay, shallow coral gardens burst with soft corals and provide an ideal opening dive for critter-spotters looking for the region's unique sea life. Pygmy seahorses and harlequin ghost pipefish are some of the more popular sightings. Moving out into the middle of the bay, the seafloor makes a sudden drop into deep water, and these walls overflow with similar soft-coral growth. On the very outer edges of the bay, deep-water coral heads, called "bommies," and lava-rock pinnacles rise up from the open ocean to provide the perfect gathering points for pelagic predators like the area's abundant reef sharks and schooling Pacific barracudas.

For divers looking to explore even further afield, Walindi also offers 7- to 12-night itineraries on its live-aboard dive boat, the Febrina. Depending on the time of year, these trips take divers along the north shore of New Britain Island (as far as Rabaul), visit remote islands in the Bismarck Sea, and explore as far as Milne Bay to the south.