SW Pacific Luxury Yacht Charters

Its possible to explore anywhere from New Zealand to the Solomon Islands. We can relocate to suitable ports and customise an itinerary for you that matches your desires.

Here are some suggestions for you to consider:

New Guinea

The reefs surrounding the diverse coastline of New Guinea present superb diving opportunities. The choice sites start from the ‘birds head’ of Irian Jaya in the North West along the Northern Coast and out into the islands to the East of the New Guinea mainland. Of note is the Bismarck Archipelago from New Ireland to New Britain, approximately 300 kms of coastline including the islands and atolls of Kavieng, Rabaul, Witu and Kimbe. Between dives, the mainland presents a prefect diversion, with spectacular volcanoes in Rabaul and the unusual culture and matriarchal society of the nearby Trobiand Islanders.

New Caledonia

The beautiful islands of New Caledonia sit on turquoise seas right at the edge of the tropics about 1,500 kms east of Australia. This South Pacific melting pot of Western & Melanesian ancestry is the third largest archipelago in the Pacific after Papua New Guinea & New Zealand. It is divided into three provinces; the North, the South and the Loyalty Islands of Lifou, Maré & Ouvéa.

Today, New Caledonia is a French Protectorate but the indigenous culture is still alive and has experienced a certain renaissance in recent years. The country’s capital, Noumea, is a wonderful blend of European chic with French traditions right alongside Melanesian and Kanak customs. La Grande Terre, 50kms wide & 500kms long, varies from a lush, mountainous landscape to a multitude of white sandy beaches surrounded by one of the world’s largest reefs, second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

New Caledonia offers some of the most diverse examples of rare flora and fauna as well as some of the most beautiful and varied dives in the world. The lagoon encompassed by the reef has an average depth of 20 metres and more than 1,500 species of fish, 350 species of coral and at least 20,000 species of invertebrate. It also shelters a beautiful selection of shells.

Highlights visited by Mustique include the Isle of Pines, world renown for its unspoilt beauty and natural Melanesian lifestyle. The island is 17km long and 14km wide with a truly distinctive pine tree skyline – the reason Captain Cook so named it 1774. These magnificent trees offset the whitest of beaches and clearest of turquoise lagoons. Once you have sailed on a traditional ‘pirogue’ (an outrigger canoe) and partaken in a Melanesian ‘bougna’ (a traditional festival dish baked underground), you can’t miss the amazing dive sites on Ile des Pins, where spectacular drop offs, canyons and caves swarm with tropical and blue water fish.