Lissenung Island Resort

The island

Deckchairs and a bottle of wine on the beach at sunset are the perfect way to end an exciting day of diving. A minimum age limit of 12 years for guests ensures a relaxed and tranquil atmosphere, and with a maximum of 16 guests, personal service is guaranteed and your holiday truly exclusive!

Accommodation

The four bungalows are spread out over the island, giving guests plenty of privacy. Three of the bungalows house two rooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom. The last bungalow also houses two rooms, but they share one bathroom, which is located between the two rooms and is accessible from the verandah. As the island is only 350 x 80m (450 x 110yd), all bungalows are ocean-front.

The bungalows are built in traditional style and blend into their surroundings. The walls are made from woven bamboo; one side of the roof is thatched (sago palm leaves) and the other side has corrugated iron to collect the rainwater used for all of the island’s water supply. The roof feeds the water into a big water tank, and gas on-demand water heaters are installed to provide hot and cold water.

The rooms are fitted with a mosquito net over the bed, a ceiling fan, a large desk and a wardrobe. The windows don’t have glass, but are fitted with fly-screen to keep little creepy crawlies out and let the beautiful breeze in, so no air-conditioning is necessary. All bungalows also have a big verandah with comfortable chairs to relax in after diving.

Diving

New Ireland is known for its pelagic fish action, but you need currents to attract big fish. These currents can sometimes be strong and make diving a little difficult; however, the experienced dive staff will look after you and ensure that you are rewarded with world-class diving.

It would also be wrong to come to Kavieng and expect to see just big fish and lots of sharks. There is so much more to see in these waters — after all, Papua New Guinea’s oceans are part of the Coral Triangle and have some of the largest bio-diverse reefs in the world!

Daily boat trips to the outer reefs, drop-offs and wrecks, with a maximum of three dives per day, are offered. For divers staying at Lissenung and booking boat dives in the morning, shore dives on the house reef are free of charge — with 350 different species of fish, this is a nice little added bonus! The house reef is also the spot for night dives, with another whole bunch of different fish, molluscs and crustaceans coming out to play and feed.

Water temperature in this area ranges from 28–30°C (83–87°F) all year round, and underwater visibility is 20–40m (60–120ft) on most dives. Permanent moorings are used on almost all of the dive sites to avoid damage from anchoring, and a ‘no-touch’ policy should be followed. The traditional reef owners receive a user fee from the resort, paid per diver per day.

Lissenung Island Resort has a very photographer-friendly set-up. There is a separate freshwater rinse tank dedicated to camera gear, and in your room is a big work space in front of the window, giving you plenty of natural light to work on your camera equipment. A number of power points and a 24-hour electricity supply ensure that your batteries can be charged at any time. The staff know how to handle camera equipment and are able to assist you when entering and exiting the water.

The fully serviced dive shop includes two Poseidon/Bauer compressors (2 x 260 l/m), 50 aluminium tanks (8, 9 and 11 l) and 12 full sets of Scubapro-Uwatec rental equipment. PADI dive courses from Open Water right through to Divemaster are available, as well as a number of specialty courses.

Surfing

Want to surf uncrowded waves? With only a handful of surfers, Lissenung is your tropical surfing dream. New Ireland is famous for fantastic diving, but the surfing here is also awesome, with swell generally ranging from 2–6ft, and sometimes bigger. The breaks Lissenung goes to are not visited by any other surf operator (Ral Island and Senta Pass are the only exceptions). Ral Island is virtually in the resort’s backyard, so its guests are generally the first surfers to arrive each morning.

The level of difficulty varies, depending on the size of the swell, the direction it comes from and the breaks being surfed. The guides will ensure that you get out there and experience the best tropical reef surfing in uncrowded surroundings. Surf transfers include snacks and beverages as well as a guide. A surf fee of PGK 25.00 per surfer per surf day is also charged, which goes entirely to the local communities where you surf. Ask us to confirm current rates.

• Go Go’s — a world-class left-hander that is super playful given the right conditions. It has a nice wall that is set up so you can really carve the hell out of the lip, and a few nice sections to get some barrel time. SW wind is offshore and the swell has to be from the N–NE. Only surfable on the mid to high tide, as the reef is very shallow at some points. Only mid to high level surfers need apply.
• Enuk Island — a right-hand breaking wave at the southern end of the reef. This break is best surfed with no wind and glassy conditions, but it is protected somewhat from NE winds if they are not too strong. Best swell direction is NE, but as it is a very shallow reef, it’s only surfable on mid to high tide. Easy take-off, but it becomes faster down the line and barrels on the inside.
• Ral — this small island is a swell magnet and the place to head for when everywhere else is flat. It breaks left and right, depending on the swell direction, but the right is usually the better wave. As it is quite open to the elements it’s best surfed in glassy conditions, although it is protected from NE winds if they are light. Best swell direction is N to NE, up to 1m. Better for short boards on a run-out tide. It breaks in deep water, so it’s quite safe, even for reef surfing newcomers.
• Nusalomon Island — a right-hander that breaks on the southern end of the island. The quality of this wave depends greatly on how the sandbar that juts out at the end changes. The wave breaks fairly close to shore in deep water, and can be a very long wave on a big swell. The island itself is beautiful and the boat can pull up behind the sandbar safely. North swell is best and east winds are offshore, but the break is protected from light NE winds. There is also a left-hander at the north end of the island, but it will only work when all the conditions come together — NNW swell, S–SW winds — as the reef is quite exposed. It’s surfable on a mid to high tide.
• Bangaton Island — most of this island has straight, unbroken reef, but there is a right-hander in front of the passage between Bangatan and Tagalop Islands. The reef comes into the island a bit more and picks up quite a lot of swell. It’s only surfable at mid to high tide, as most of the reef is exposed at low tide. S–SW winds are offshore; best swell is N–NE.

Plus there are many more …