The last frontier.
Spearfishing & Fishing expeditions deep into the Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea: untouched reefs, world-class fish, and island communities that still live with the sea.
This is not a charter. It's an expedition.
Past the last phone signal and east into a remote chain of islands, reefs and atolls that few people will ever see. Coral systems teeming with life. Bluewater with almost no fishing pressure. Island communities living off the land and the sea, the way they always have.
Every morning starts with the weather and the sea call, then we pick the best water in the archipelago. Drifting steep drop-offs for dogtooth tuna and Spanish mackerel. Stalking prized reef species through the shallows. Working vast bluewater pinnacles where the pelagics hunt and where your gear and your nerve get tested properly.
The journey begins in Alotau, the gateway to Milne Bay Province, and runs east into the Louisiade Archipelago. crystal-clear channels, coral-fringed islands and untouched outer reefs that have stayed virtually unchanged for centuries.
Some days we chase bait schools where the predators are feeding. Some days we work calm lagoons where the reef fish hold. The archipelago decides. We read it every morning.
The Louisiades aren't a backdrop. These islands are home, communities here live off the land and the sea, taking only what they need, keeping their environment in a way few places on earth still do.
Every expedition pays anchorage fees and land royalties directly to the communities whose waters we share. When the boats come in, the catch gets shared on the sand and ask anyone who's been: the village days are the ones they talk about longest.
You'll leave with a different idea of what wealth looks like.
MV Curringa.
An 18-metre expedition mothership on a 1971 Milkraft hull, purpose-built for long runs through remote water, and operated with our partners at Discover Milne Bay. Expedition-grade, not a luxury liner: air-conditioned bunk cabins, a galley that feeds you properly, and Starlink to send the photos home.
18.0 m · 500 NM at 7.5 kn
Up to 8, in two air-conditioned bunk cabins
Full PNG registration & survey, all PNG coastal waters
VHF + HF/SSB marine radios · Starlink onboard
Onboard water maker · shared bathroom
2 × 22 ft centre-console longboats, 70/90 hp
How a week runs.
The honest version because out here the moon and the weather write the itinerary, not the brochure.
Fly in, rig up
We meet you at Alotau airport, run you to the waterfront, and tender you out to Curringa. Gear sorted, weights fitted, and the week talked through over the first dinner aboard.
Shakedown
Easier country first while we steam east. We read how everyone dives, tune breath-up and weighting, and take fish for the table. Nobody gets pushed past their level on day two.
The drop-offs
Steep edges and current lines where the doggies and Spanish mackerel hold. Long drifts, guide in the water, tenders tracking the floats.
Bluewater days
Pinnacles and bait schools when the weather says yes — yellowfin, wahoo, and the chance of something bigger. We tell you straight when it's on, and straight when it isn't.
The village anchorage
Catch shared on the sand, fires at dusk, and the slow run back to Alotau with the freezer full and the photos backed up. Most enquiries for next season start on this leg.
seventeen departures. Set by the moon.
Why the moon? Every charter is scheduled against the phase that fishes best — new-moon tides put current on the drop-offs and bait on the move, which is exactly where the doggies hunt. The calendar follows the water, not the other way around. Crews are capped at 8; pick your window.
Fares & inclusions.
Per person · share cabin
Per person · share cabin
10–13 day expeditions · beginner charter · whole-boat hire
Included
- Airport transfers in Alotau, to and from the vessel
- Overnight stay covered at front and back end of charter (no additional costs)
- All nights aboard in share cabins — linen and towels included
- All meals from the onboard chef, plus tea, coffee, juice
- Experienced spearfishing guide and trip coordinator
- Dive weights and Starlink internet onboard
Not included
- International and domestic airfares
- Travel insurance — mandatory, with medical evacuation cover
- Alcohol, soft drinks — available for purchase prior to departure
- Your personal spearfishing/fishing gear
This is a remote expedition, not a luxury charter. Medical facilities are limited out here, and travel insurance covering medical evacuation is mandatory —no valid insurance, no boarding.If that reads as a warning, this trip isn't for you. If it reads as an invitation —see you in Alotau.
The approach, handled.
PNG is a remote destination and the systems can be unpredictable — so the logistics are mapped for you, step by step, before you fly.
Fly
Air Niugini via Port Moresby to Alotau — book international and domestic on one ticket so delays are the airline's problem, not yours. Divers get +16 kg of gear allowance free.
Paperwork
30-day eVisa lodged at least 30 days out, the pre-arrival form before you board, and travel insurance with medical evacuation cover. No insurance, no boarding — that rule protects everyone.
Land
Our team meets you at Alotau airport, shuttles you to the waterfront, and tenders you straight out to MV Curringa. From wheels-down, you're handled.
Pack
Bluewater and reef guns, floats, lines and spare shafts, your wetsuit — weights are onboard, so leave them home. Bring about AU$350 in kina for shore days; there are no ATMs out there.
The full pre-departure brief — flights, hotels, packing list and arrival walkthrough — is sent with your booking.
Led by Zac Schmidt.
Marine science graduate, raised in the Indonesian archipelago, formed on the Great Barrier Reef: Zac leads every Reef Lagoon Charters expedition personally, alongside the Discover Milne Bay crew.
The person answering your enquiry is the person leading the trip.
Asked before every expedition.
What skill level do I need?
I'm travelling solo — how do cabins work?
What gear do I bring?
Is travel insurance really mandatory?
Visa and flights?
Do I need cash?
What about sharks?
How rough is "expedition-grade", honestly?
Hold your dates.
Tell us your window, your crew and your level — every enquiry is answered personally, with availability, 2027 pricing and everything you need to get to Alotau.