{"id":1741,"date":"2020-04-16T13:05:07","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T13:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/divebooker.com\/blog\/?p=1741"},"modified":"2026-07-07T11:53:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T11:53:52","slug":"staff-relief-fund-in-png","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/divebooker.com\/blog\/staff-relief-fund-in-png\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Relief Fund in PNG"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kimbe Bay: A Marine Biodiversity Treasure<\/b><\/h2><\/div>

A beautiful<\/span> Kimbe Bay<\/span><\/a> in<\/span> Papua New Guinea<\/span><\/a> pulses with life: its coral reefs hold more than half of all species on Earth, a rainbow jungle that more than 900 reef fish species call home.\u00a0 Kimbe Bay is located in the Bismarck Sea, a key area in the global center of marine biodiversity.\u00a0 The Coral Triangle and Kimbe Bay lie almost centrally within this.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Kimbe<\/span><\/div>

The idea to develop the resort came after Max and Cecilie Benjamin travelled overseas for a diving holiday in 1978 where they immediately recognized the outstanding marine biodiversity of Kimbe Bay in their own backyard.\u00a0 Walindi Plantation Resort commenced on the shores of Kimbe Bay in 1983 and we are a fully family owned resort now reaching three generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

MV FeBrina<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> MV Oceania<\/span><\/a> are both dive liveaboards based at Walindi, they offer a variety of itineraries throughout the year, each tailored to suit the best conditions in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

Supporting the Local Community<\/b><\/h2><\/div>

The Benjamin family had not only pioneered scuba diving in<\/span> Kimbe Bay<\/span><\/a>, but has been actively supporting the local community through several programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Max Benjamin Elementary School (MBES) was conceptualised in 2010. The school grew rapidly to have over 100 students attending in the space of three short years. MBES is one of the few Elementary schools in the Province which has teacher\u2019s housing onsite.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>

\"June<\/span><\/div>

June 2015 saw the start of construction of the new Walindi Primary School. It has been donated by Walindi’s owners Max and Cecilie Benjamin and was constructed by Walindi at cost. 225 students were enrolled at closing day, 3rd December 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Walindi<\/span><\/div>

Walindi Resort actively supports the local community, so that they can benefit from tourism in the area. This is done in a number of ways, such as, employment, education, sanitation, supporting local charities, purchasing from local suppliers, working with communities and offering new opportunities for local small entrepreneurs.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>

Facing Challenges Together: COVID-19 Impact and How You Can Help<\/b><\/h2><\/div>

With the global health crisis that is <\/span>COVID-19<\/b>, tourism has come to a complete standstill around the world with catastrophic impacts on employment.\u00a0 The situation is no different here in Papua New Guinea.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, in PNG there are no social safety nets and no business support packages – they are on their own.<\/b>\u00a0 With 100% of the revenue now gone for the foreseeable future – they are in a very difficult situation of not being able to afford to keep our local staff of 90 working – this is devastating for the staff and their families – one salary in PNG often filters down directly to an average of 7 people – <\/span>there are no alternatives for them, there is no backup.<\/b><\/p>\n

Walindi Resort and Liveaboards are the one of the only employment opportunities in the area.\u00a0 Walindi is a community village and majority of the staff and their families live on site – they are also a family.<\/span><\/p>\n

To help the whole community to get through the coming months Divebooker helps to seek donations to help them with the bare necessities like food and medicine during this extremely difficult time – a safety net.<\/span><\/p>\n

100% of donations will be shared out equally and given directly to the local staff in instalments to help support them.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>

DONATE<\/b><\/a><\/h2><\/div>

From Walindi Resort,<\/span> MV FeBrina<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> MV Oceania<\/span><\/a>, Mahonia Na Dari Education Centre\u00a0 and the family of staff who live onsite and in the surrounding villages we thank you for any support you may be able to offer in this difficult time for everyone – no matter how small the donation, every bit helps!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Papua New Guinea Diving Reviews<\/h2>\n \n
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\n Review of Oceania experience (Oceania)<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
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The liveaboard boat was great and I believe Dan had put so much effort to make it very nice and comfortable. I especially like the lounge area. The only two things I did not like about the boat was the bathroom door being extremely heavy and it was difficult to close and open and other thing was the tiny sink was installed right below a toiletry caddy which means I can't lean down and wash my face and brush my teeth etc. because it was in the way. This could be resolved if the caddy was installed on the side. \r\n\r\nThe staff were very nice and friendly. Two of the three dive masters were great and helpful underwater with my photography. They made sure that everyone was safe and often checked on us and waited for us. One of the divemasters (the younger one) wasn't so keen in keeping the divers close by, sometimes there were current and he would be miles away. He was also the least enthusiastic out of the three. Overall dive experience was calm and cruisy as we were able to jump right off the deck which saves time and energy. Unfortunately, the reef around Kimbe bay and various other places where we were suppose to go have been hit hard by bleaching events. How sad it is as I remember it was stunning just 5 years ago when I was there last.\r\n\r\nI must say the most disappointing aspect of the trip was the food. I have been on dozens of trips and the food on this boat was the worst. Firstly, meals were usually not on time. Sometimes snacks were soggy and cold and boring. The food itself was quite awful, and I hate to write these words because the cook and the ladies were so nice. It was mainly western foods made by someone who probably has never had good western food. I believe the captain of the boat could be influencing the type of food cooked on the boat. I wish they had more traditional dishes. Food was either very salty or tasteless. The soups were just god awful, no familiar flavour even though they are meant to be. Pumpkin soup did not taste like pumpkin soup, etc. On occasions there were curries, I believe Thai curry, they sure didn't taste like it? There was so much shrimp paste in the curries I could not even taste the coconut. I went with Fabrina a while back and Josie's food was incredibly amazing. I still think about her food. However, Fabrina isn't as flashy as Oceania.<\/div>\n
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