PNG for me would be a liveaboard, probably Peter Hughes.  As a likely
one-shot deal, I'd try to maximize my experience by hoping they know
where the best stuff is.  Otherwise, I really haven't looked into the
details, other than noting that it's a PITA to get to.

Did Komodo (liveaboard via Bali).  Lembeh is definitely where I'd head
the next time, either at a dedicated muck diving resort like KBR, or
more likely off a liveaboard such as the N. Sulawesi Aggressor or
whatever boat Peter Hughes is moving up there, or the Pelagian out of
Wakatobi; Irian Jaya is also on the list, having received rave reviews
from fellow travelers I've met.

Those soft corals look amazing and it's "only" an 11-hour hop from
LAX.  My LDS does at least one or two Fiji trips a year, but land
based.  When I go, I'll liveaboard it, having heard that the land
facilities often lack a/c and enough areas have been hit by coral
bleaching that it's a crapshoot where you go unless you have really
recent reports.  Nai'a or Fiji Aggressor for me, as soon as I can
figure out the best way to use Continental miles to secure a
comfortable flight.

This is #1 on my to-be-repeated list, since my first trip was a really
short "fam" trip and we only did 10 dives.  We're booked on the Palau
Aggressor in March 2008.

Will be #1 on my to-be-repeated list after our Palau and Galapagos
repeats.  The Truk Odyssey was a great boat and the wrecks are
incredible.  Next time I'll be tech/trimix certified, though, to allow
even more time at depth, and try to get on a charter where helium is
available.  Therefore, that's a few years out.  I just hope the wrecks
hold up until I get back.

Yep.

Brrr.  I might pass on that one.

BC, definitely, on the Nautilus Explorer.

I'm just waiting on Janna to transition back to cold water diving.
She was originally certified in the cold, which I believe was a big
factor in her giving up diving altogether for a few years even though
she had a few enjoyable warm-water experiences after certification.
We practically started her from scratch again a couple years ago,
taking baby steps like Eden Rock and Maui shore dives that are only
15-20' deep, and over 150 dives later she loves diving at night, she's
taken on the stiff currents of Cocos, Komodo, and the Andaman Sea, and
fortunately, she loves liveaboard diving as much or more than me.
Where before the idea of any wreck penetration scared the bejeezus out
of her, I had to chase after her through the Spiegel Grove on Dive
with Greg II until we got hopelessly lost as she was so excited
exploring (probably a bit narced too).

So now it's about time to work on getting back into the cold.  She
really wants to do the Nautilus Explorer in BC, but that's a big jump
from the warm and clear.  Our Galapagos trip in August should be a
nice intermediary, and she promised to do a few local dives with me in
her 7/5 wetsuit to get ready for the cold equatorial waters once
summer warms the Pacific around here up to 70 or so.  Hopefully she'll
enjoy it enough to want to get back into a drysuit and dive locally in
the winter.  When we've done that, BC here we come.

I've got to get out to Oz someday.  I have mixed feelings about
Australians, having endured an Australian stepfather for a period of
my wayward youth, but I've met plenty friendlies.  It's just the
accent that still gives me chills.

Whale sharks this August, 10 days via Peter Hughes.  As Popeye says,
whoo hoo!

I've heard mixed reviews as compared to Cocos, but a Undersea Hunter
trip that took both in would be nice.  Just a lot of traveling in
between.  I prefer those liveaboards that stop at different places
along the way.  I'm one of those who preferred my Galapagos trip to my
Cocos trip, which is why I'm doing Galapagos again.  It's colder and
murkier, to be sure, but with less boat travel, more diversity, whale
sharks, and of course the land tours, I consider it to have a lot more
bang for the buck.

If I consulted Janna, the Maldives would be our next destination.
However, I tend to take certain practicalities more to heart than she
does, i.e. difficulty and expense of getting there, so this time I was
able to pick Palau instead.  A future decision might weigh Indonesia,
PNG, Chuuk, and the Maldives and with a toss-up like that, I'd likely
give her the choice.  They're all about equally expensive and hard to
get to.

I sort of want to go back to Indonesia, but there were a few negatives
about my last trip that leave me less than excited about going back.
The funny thing is that none of the negatives really pertain to the
country (a bad airline experience, and a slight imbalance of
expectations on a liveaboard), but it's the association of those with
the place that has me wary about returning.  Plus it's a really long
way to go, and security leaving Bali and clearing customs in Honolulu
were the biggest PITAs I've yet endured since 9/11.

I hope that's not the case at least for the remainder of 2007.  I've
heard that this is something they're trying to push for the future,
but AFAIK the new laws taking effect on 1/1/2008 are only limiting
trips to 7-day itineraries, banning night diving, and banning dive
boats from the southern islands itinerary (the latter affects only the
Lammer Law, according to the Rodale's article IIRC).  The mixed land
and sea touring is the best reason to go, IMO.

I know what you mean.  I'd really like to get out local diving even,
but that's hard enough (I need her, or somebuddy, to get me
motivated).  Arranging a week trip somewhere warm without taking her
along wouldn't be very safe for me.

I'll see how Janna likes Chandelier Cave in Palau.  That's an easy
one.  I did a cenote dive at Hidden Worlds years ago, where she
snorkeled above, and she hasn't expressed much of a desire to go
caving.  But now she seems to have lost any claustrophobic feelings
she used to get, as her recent wreck penetration dives have shown.  Of
course those were all "cavern"-like penetrations, with easy access
back to daylight.  I've talked to her about doing a cavern class at
some point, for the experience if nothing else, but I doubt she'd be
interested in real cave diving.  I'd be interested in the training,
but after a few cenote dives in the Yucatan, I don't see what the big
thrill is.  I'm more of a fish and coral guy for the most part.

 The Bikini Atoll.

 http://www.bikiniatoll.com/divetour.html