West New Britain dive sites

Fathers Reefs are located in the open water of Kimbe Bay, approximately 30 kilometres from the town of Kimbe in West New Britain Province. Access is by dive boat from Kimbe or from one of the bay's dive resorts, with the boat ride taking about 45 minutes to one hour. Flights from Port Moresby to Hoskins Airport near Kimbe operate daily and take approximately one hour. Several dive resorts and liveaboard operators serve Kimbe Bay. Due to the distance from shore, dives at Fathers Reefs are typically conducted as full-day excursions with multiple dives and a surface interval on the boat.

Fathers Reefs have been the subject of extensive marine biodiversity research, most notably through surveys conducted by The Nature Conservancy and various university research teams. These studies have documented over 400 fish species and 300 coral species on the seamounts, making them one of the most species-rich reef systems in the world. The reefs' isolation in deep water has protected them from land-based threats like sedimentation and agricultural runoff. They serve as a natural laboratory for studying coral reef ecology and resilience, and their data has contributed to Kimbe Bay's designation as a priority area for marine conservation in Papua New Guinea.