Panasia Island

▶ Our episodes filmed here

Guided by Village Chief to Secret CaveFilmed Oct 2023

Adventures in a Traditional Sailing CanoeFilmed Oct 2023

Our photos

Highlights

• Limestone caves
• Climb/views from the cliffs
• Snorkel and trolling along the cliff face
• Dinghy to Nasakoli islet for shells
• Eagles nesting in the cliffs

Stories from our visits

John took us along the cliffs to the caves where old skulls lie. He said an archaeologist had been and planned to come back to date them (22 Oct 2023).

Junior and friends from Little Panasia took us out in their sailing canoes, then everyone gathered to sing while Poppy played an out-of-tune guitar (22 Oct 2023).

The guide

Position

11°07.90'S 152°19.95'E

Depth

6.5–13 m

Wind shelter

good in E, SE, S

Our visit

19-23 Oct 2023 (diary; two spots in the lagoon; the two Panasia episodes), then on to Moturina.

Shelter

Rolly at high tide in 15 kn+ SE. Open north.

Getting in

From Cormorant Channel go ~3 nm then turn into the lagoon by the narrow northern pass (5 m+). Sun high: bommies inside; charts out by 100 m+.

Bottom

sand patches among coral heads - buoy the chain

Holding

good in sand

Ashore

Towering limestone cliffs, caves on the south side (ask to be shown; there's also a skull cave on little Panasia), lovely beaches. Few people: John and Gwen's house on the beach opposite; two families on little (Small) Panasia; the village is round the other side. Utian islanders garden here and grow corn and cherry tomatoes for yachts.

Cautions

Gifts given at the beach house may not reach the village on the other side of the island (us, 2023). If you want gifts to help the village, take them round yourself or give them to the people on little Panasia.

Anchoring (us)

Our first night was off the chief's beach. Next morning we paddled round to find somewhere shallower and sandier and moved under the cliffs on the far side of the lagoon (our 'second spot' mark): white beaches under the overhangs, reef on the other side, private but an easy paddle in (Oct 2023).

Ashore (us)

Walk over to the village on the far side (steep, sharp path, great views) and on to the big cave with swimming water and fig roots hanging from the roof. With a note from the chief, George on the sand cay across the lagoon took us to the skull cave on Little Panasia; go when the tide is right, as the beaches there only show at low water. The Little Panasia families sailed us home in their canoe.

Trading (us)

We traded clothes, fishing gear and rope for a shell bag, a clay pot made on the island, shells, limes, a bush-turkey egg and a nautilus shell (Oct 2023). Shark fin (sold in Alotau), trochus and sea cucumber in season are the village's money.

People

John & Gwen - beach house (2023); Frank, MacKenzie Noel - Little Panasia (2011-15)

Our sketch map

Drawn by us from OpenStreetMap, Sentinel-2 and our GPS. Not for navigation.

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