Tales of Papua New Guinea
Posted on November 9th, 2010
Tuesday afternoon on the True North and I am sitting in the bar in a nice big sofa typing on my mac. I just returned from a good 5-600 meter swim in tropical waters from the True North to a tiny slice of paradise; a small sandy island with crystal clear water surrounded by beatiful corals. I jumped in the water from the back of the True North in true into the abyss explorer style. If you know me, you know that’s a bit special for me considering I did not even swim one year ago. Speaking of Abyss Exploring, earlier this morning after a sunrise shoot with Mark and Christian I snorkled above a spellbinding wall of corals alive with a million fish, staring into a vertical drop into true nothingness, an abyss of deep blue darkness. Staring into the abyss the abyss stares back into you and it is little surprise that I was simply hypnotized and me and the abyss stared at each other the entire morning.
Words fail me presently but I shall return to this abyss story and hundreds of other tales of wonder (and one of woe) from our adventures in paradise. Papua New Guinea paired with the True North featuring yours truly, Mark Stothard and Christian Fletcher is the material legends are created of. We are cruising in the most magical waters, visiting remote villages of beautiful lovely guineans, beaches and jungles, shooting from sunup to sundown, diving and snorkling every day and, and, it is time to just post a few quick images to lend you an idea of our adventures in paradise. The images are undeveloped, a little preview of our adventures:
PS. Tale of Woe: Christian Fletcher slipped walking on the beach right next to me and dropped his 70,000 dollars Phase One in the sand just as a wave came in. Bugger! Resulting in a useless Phase One and a rather gutted Christian Fletcher. Poor fella. Many F words were screamed by Fletcher as Mother Nature reduced him again to a Canon 5D Mark II shooter and we tried, we really tried to be nice and sensitive to Christian and not rub it in (despite having heard about nothing but dynamic range of the phase for days and days and how our Canon’s were so so so inferior!).
Albert… Looks like your having a good time mate… its a pretty special place isnt it. Those little canoe things with the square platform on it that take you into the jungle to see the bread making are incredible huh… Well talk when you get back mate .
Hackman Rod, cheers! It is special indeed, Paradise found, I loved every second. I felt a strong Hack presence in Cambden Harbour I must admit
Glad I had top bunk 
Dug out canoes are awesome. Btw mate, Mark got us a boat and we went to explore the volcano on foot, now there's a place the two Hack's did not go ;D
Finally some words and images from you Flemming!
Sounds like you have been having a great time!! very jealous!
Must be pretty hard to not stir christian up about how lacking in dynamic range the phase is now haha..
'Finally', I don't like that word mate. Worked bloody hard to get just a few words and images online, borrowing Mark's computer for a bit doing it. But I know what you mean
And I'm very happy you like my posts 
The trip was Paradise Found, I have no words yet. So good it was unreal. I decided it was 'be nice to Christian day' when his Phase died…well it turned out to be 'be nice to Christian for one hour' but that is still something!
Nice shots Flemming, sound like you are having an adventure up there! Will CF be able to go back to the stone-age camera and survive? He's in the right place anyway!
The playing field has been levelled!
Re Phase one – poor Christian! Although that was a funny story
Geeez your office is a bit poor. An unfinished cubicle that grows coconuts, a bloated dingy in the background and not an ergonomic piece of furniture in sight. How do you deal with this mistreatment?!
C, you nailed it, the office was poor, sitting overlooking PNG pristine waters. Nomad…tough life, do not try this at home kids!
Hey Flem, I have been following you from everyone else's blog for almost 2 years since I started my own blog so I think it only fair now that you have stood by CF while his phase 1 was baptised in some of the most tranquil and calm waters on the planet I will endeavor to add you to my wordpress links. As Mark knows I am a huge and keen fan of all trips TN and will be there one day very soon. By the time I go CF will have resorted to disposable cameras which would not be such a bad thing, poor bastard.
Great images, enjoy the trip cheers Adrian
http://www.wayte27.wordpress.com
Hey Adrian,
Thanks so much for following my blog. Will certainly add you to my blogroll as well and I cannot say enough about the True North, it is simply in a league of it's own and sell your kidney (like I did) if you have to, rob a bank, does not matter, get on that boat! You'll not regret one second you robbed that bank to get on board
Hey Flemming, i am very jealous! sounds and looks like an awesome adventure. did you by any chance get Christian dropping the Phase on film (digital film of course)? any chance of a re-enactment for posterity? tell him i've got a 6×17 i can send up, only slightly used.
I look forward to hearing the stories first hand when you get down here to Freo.
looks and sounds like a top trip Flembot! not sure i'll be able to dish up the same amount of excitement when we meet up here in the Pilbara though mind you haha. we can only try
love that canoe image, real cool menacing feel to it. imagine seeing them coming at you if you were on the Amazon! not sure you'd be so calm with your camera then haha.
and Christian must be devastated! i can sympathize, as I too have lost a camera…. even though slightly not in the same price bracket!
Stephen, it was Paradise Found, in the top 3 of all the trips I have ever done and PNG is possibly the most stunning untouched location I have been to.
Great shots mate, and the jungle canoe is a real highlight.
Thanks Thomas!
Can't wait for the rest of the images ! Must have been an amazing trip !
Cheers !
reading with tears still in my eyes!
Mate, i seriously hope that it was insured.
PNG has been on my list for a number of years… I can't wait for the day that I finally tick it off the list… To say I'm envious is an understatement. I trust you enjoyed and treasure the experience!
Hi Flemming, brilliant images here mate. Bit like Adrian always popping over for a look. Man I would have melted down if the Nikon went swimming. Washed the dust off the sensor?
Cheers
Hi David, thanks very much for visiting ! Great you are now commenting as well, cheers!
I am not sure saltwater is the best way to wash off dust hehe. Actually I think the back is fine, it was more the knock in the sand that broke the mirror mechanism in the body. What can you expect, it's put together by Danes in Copenhagen, their office is 1 km from Carlsberg.
"…dropped his $70,000 dollar Phase One in the sand just as a wave came in. Bugger!"
Yow! >>Ouch<<
What a nightmare… Hope he had insurance….
Yeah it was insured, well hopefully, think the bill wasn't paid yet. I think Christian was more depressed about being in PNG with a dead Phase One having to go back to the 5D Mk II