Manus

A photo essay of one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Manus snapshot ... crystal- clear water, perfect palm islands, great waves and coconuts for sale at the markets at Lorengau. Happiness is endemic among the PNG village children.

Given that, earlier in the day, we had absolutely no problems walking through the town, going to the markets and generally hanging out in Lorengau, the danger money received by the workers seems a little over the top. Yet, I am not an expert on such things, merely a photographer that likes to surf.

Essentially the people who I speak to have a narrow perspective on what Manus is really like. They’re shut out from the rest of the islands, the perfect beaches, the crystal-clear water, the surf, the diving and the giggling children of the villages.

I can only hope that there are more people in the world like Captain Andrew Rigby of the Explorer, willing to show how amazing this place really is; people willing to take others there, to let them surf the waves, dive the reefs, get the fine white sand between their toes and the tropical sun on their shoulders, to drink straight from the freshly cut coconuts and dive into the crystal blue water and maybe, just maybe, people’s perspective will start to change.

Don’t limit your perspective, that’s all I’m saying.

For more information about live-aboard safaris on

PNG Explorer, see pngsurfaris.com.

Air Niugini flies daily from Port Moresby to Manus Island. See airniugini.com.pg.