Oil Search Pacific Games Relay in Walindi, West New Britain Province

Today the Oil Search Pacific Games Relay went underwater at Walindi.

The Relay team went to Restorf Island, the traditional clan home of the area, for a traditional welcome and ceremonial pig killing so that the Baton could travel through the area.

The Baton was then taken into the water by the Walindi Dive team, with Oscar Wokasup taking the Baton on its first dive.

 The Baton visited Joelle’s reef for an encounter with a Hawksbill Turtle, swimming with the divers and feeding from its favourite sponge, placed on the top of the Baton.

For its second dive the Baton travelled down 15 metres to Inglis Shoal for shark feeding with the white tip reef sharks.


Special shark feed buckets were taken down to attract the sharks so the Relay team could capture them on film with the Baton.

 The divers swam through schools of barracuda and bat fish, followed by the circling sharks.


A short relay around the Walindi area completed the day.

 The Baton then ran down Walindi beach and through the Mahonia Na Dari (Guardians of the Sea) research and conservation centre, a non-profit research centre focussing on preserving the Kimbe Bay area for future generations.


The relay finished with Tura making an appearance at the Max Benjamin Elementary School and handing out our partner UNICEF piksa buks to the children.


The Relay heads back to the Highlands on Sunday starting with Enga Province.