Solomon Islands 2012

We’ve been three times before, and can’t wait to return. The Solomon Islands—situated east of Papua New Guinea, northeast of Australia and west of Fiji—boasts outstanding biodiversity and a range of diving that's hard to beat. With over a hundred islands covered in lush tropical jungle, the archipelago offers sheltered anchorages with stunning landscapes, rich history, and beautiful people. You’ll be aboard Bilikiki, which pioneered liveaboard diving in the Solomon Islands.

The waters give you an outstanding mix of world-class diving: healthy hard coral reefs, sheer walls with enormous fans, caverns and caves, current-swept passages, muck sites with their bizarre critters, bommies teeming with brilliant tropical fish, pelagics, plus WWII and modern wrecks. All this in toasty warm waters with great viz and minimal dive tourism—so you'll have the sites to yourselves.

MARY ISLAND / BARRACUDA POINT
An isolated island with stakka fis (stacks of fish) swarming the pristine hard coral slope that drops away into the inky abyss. Grey reef, whitetip and blacktip sharks patrol the area. Jacks and barracuda in abundance. The rumbling sounds of distant underwater volcanic eruptions make this an unforgettable dive site.

LERU CUT
From a sheer wall, up in the shallows, is a spectacular split in the island. You can swim 60m (200’) into the cut, and surface right inside the jungle canopy. On the way back out, stop to look for electric clams, ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses.

TWIN TUNNELS
A lush and large seamount topping out at 18m (45’). There are two tunnel entrances at the top; enter and descend down to 33m (110’), then exit on the seamount’s side. Plenty of pelagic fish action at the point where the current hits: fusiliers, trevally, mackerel, tuna, sharks.

VELVIA REEF
A small seamount in the middle of a channel. Critter hunter’s nirvana. Crocodilefish, tons of nudibranchs (especially Nembrotha kubaryana), and lionfish up the wazoo.

THE ANN
A modern wreck close to shore. The hull is covered with enormous elephant ear sponges. Up in the shallows, near a village, you can get shots of local children posing for you underwater.

WHITE BEACH
This mangrove-lined steep rubble slope was the dumping ground for American military equipment after WWII: sunken pontoons, earth-moving equipment, a jeep, ammunition and vintage bottles. Mantis shrimp, archer fish, mandarinfish and jawfish call this place home.

MANTA FEEDING STATION
Zoom across a current-swept reef, then tuck down at the drop-off to watch the mantas parade past.

MIRROR POND
At the edge of a hard coral garden, enter a cave. Swim through to where the cave opens to the daylight and forest. Look out for the resident crocodile.

Most of the dive sites are close to small villages, and you’ll often surface from your dive to find the locals have paddled their dugout canoes to say hello. With minimal tourism throughout the islands, the locals greet you with warms smiles, friendliness and a little curiosity.

There will be at least one formal village visit during the trip, with traditional entertainment called a "sing sing"—it’s very impressive.

Additionally, during some surface intervals there will be the opportunity to purchase excellent wood carvings and other local handicrafts. The cruise directors will brief you on the art of price negotiation, Solomons style. It's also possible to trade for these local items, so consider bringing some goods that are sought after by the islanders.

Bilikiki has been going for 20 years and has always enjoyed an excellent reputation. We were onboard for our honeymoon in 2005, and we also worked there as relief cruise directors in 2007. In 2010 we were there for a month. We found the 13 long-tenured crew to be polite, experienced and hard-working—they will take good care of you during the trip.

Bilikiki is a comfortable, clean, spacious and well-equipped ship. All of her guest cabins have a double bed plus a single bunk above. Each cabin has a private ensuite bathroom with shower, basin and toilet. All cabins are air-conditioned.

The dive deck has plenty of space to gear up, huge fresh-water rinse tanks, a carpeted camera table, hot showers, and fresh towels. In the salon area is a large table for camera assembly, storage and tinkering. And there’s a dedicated charging room well away from the wet areas of the ship.

Local villagers paddle their dugout canoes to the ship, bringing fresh fruits, vegetables and fish that the crew purchase to re-stock the galley throughout the trip.

If you want to try some fishing yourself, you’re welcome to join the crew for an evening or early morning excursion to hand-line for wahoo and tuna.

The Bilikiki dive operations are extremely well run. After a detailed dive briefing, you can gear up at your own pace and go when you're ready—there are no fixed dive groups. The crew will load your gear into one of the 21’ aluminium tenders (called “tinnies”); the tinnie departs once it’s full. It’s a 1-4 minute ride to the dive site. The crew will lift your tank up onto your back, you just buckle up and do a unison back-roll entry. There will be a tinnie to collect you wherever you surface at the end of the dive. The two tinnies do alternate watches, so there’s no need to wait for all the other divers to surface before you can be taken back to the ship.

At a couple of sites the “pool is open”: diving is done direct from the ship’s stern, so you just come and go as you please.

One or both of the cruise directors (Sam and Kellie) will be in the water as guide on each day dive.

The dive crew take care of your dive gear throughout the trip—from loading it in and out of the tinnies each dive, to cleaning it for you on the last day.

Diving is unlimited: the dive schedule is built around five daily dives (4 daytime dives plus 1 night dive after dinner), but there is scope to add more dives for the super keen. There are no depth or time limits on the dives, just keep your profiles within the bounds of common sense and safe diving practices.

For even more information, see Bilikiki's Welcome Aboard FAQ and Bilikiki's Important Notes. If you need more help, talk to us.

US$4070 per person, twin share. All accommodations are air-conditioned "Deluxe Cabins". Each cabin has a one double bed, plus a single bed above. Each cabin has a private shower, toilet and hand basin.

All Bilikiki charters start and end in Honiara, the capital city, so there’s no need for pesky domestic flights or lengthy internal connections.

There are direct flights to Honiara from Brisbane (Australia) and from Nadi (Fiji). Flights are operated by Solomon Airlines, Virgin Pacific Blue or Air Pacific.

Connections from Nadi line up well with the charter departure date. Connections from Brisbane with Solomon Airlines require one night in Honiara before the charter begins. Connections from Brisbane with Virgin require two nights in Honiara before the charter begins.

If spending time in Honiara, try to go diving at the Bonegi wrecks. These are two enormous WWII Japanese freighters that went down at Bonegi beach in Guadalcanal, on the outskirts of Honiara. They are excellent shore dives—the wrecks stretch from the surface to the deep. Both are heavily encrusted with corals and teeming with life. Plenty of critters (seahorses, stingrays, gobies) in the surrounding sand slopes, too. You could get in a couple of dives on May 12th (Saturday) before boarding Bilikiki after 4pm.

At the end of the charter, May 22nd, there are direct flights to Brisbane and Nadi that day. So, no need to overnight in Honiara after the charter is over.

If travelling with Solomon Airlines from Brisbane ONLY, you get 40kg luggage allowance (instead of 20kg). This is a special arrangement that Bilikiki has with the airline. Should the check-in agent be unaware of this arrangement please ask them to contact the Solomon Airlines representative.

Citizens of the British Commonwealth, the United States and most European countries don’t need to arrange visas beforehand. A passport and a return or onward ticket will allow you to get a visitor's permit on arrival in Honiara. Your passport needs to be valid for 6 months from the end of the trip.

The Solomons have a year-round tropical climate moderated by cooling sea breezes. Daytime temperatures are around 30°C (87°F), and at night it cools to around 22°C (71°F). May is a nice time of year—it's after the wet season, but before the start of the SE trade winds. The waters are a toasty 26-29°C (80-85°F)—but when you are doing 4-5 dives a day you may start to feel chilled after a few days, so choose wetsuits accordingly. 

Drink only bottled water when not aboard the ship.

There is malaria in the Solomon Islands. Wear insect repellent when in Honiara and when going ashore during the trip. Talk to your doctor at least 4–6 weeks before departure to determine whether you want to take anti-malarials.

Read further health advice from:
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Power throughout the ship is 240V 50Hz using Australia-style plugs. There is a designated charging room on the top deck that also has US-style plugs. So if you have a US-style plug and you want to use it in anywhere other in than the charging room, then bring your own adaptor. If you have heaps of things to plug in, it helps to bring your own powerboard.

ATMs are available in and around Honiara. It’s also possible to exchange fixed amounts (e.g. $50, $100) while onboard.

The local currency is the Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD)
USD 1 = approx SBD 7.35
AUD 1 = approx SBD 7.40

In parts of Honiara there is wireless internet, accessed with cards that you buy in some shops and hotels. There is no cell phone coverage and internet access once at sea.

The ship keeps regular radio contact with the Honiara office. If you have an emergency message, it can be passed to the office via the radio.

There is a satellite phone available for outgoing calls, and calls are charged by the minute.

If your family or friends need to contact you in an emergency, they should contact the Honiara office:
Phone:  +677 20412
Fax:  +677 23897
Email:  bilikiki [at] solomon.com.sb

Local time in Honiara is GMT +11hr

Although there are 120 indigenous Papuan, Melanesian and Polynesian languages spoken, the common spoken dialect is Melanesian Pidgin. English is the official language.

The trip begins on a Saturday afternoon and ends on a Tuesday morning. Boarding of the ship is around 4-5pm.

The Bilikiki crew will meet you when you arrive at Honiara airport. If you are arriving before May 12th, they'll take you to your hotel, then collect you from there on the afternoon of the 12th.

If your flight arrives on the 12th, but much earlier than boarding time, then the crew will take you to a hotel lobby where you can relax for a few hours; the crew will take your large luggage direct to the ship so that you are free to walk around town if you wish. The Lime Lounge (weekdays 7am - 5pm; Saturdays 9am - 3pm) is probably the best bet in Honiara if you're looking for a decent place for coffee and a light bite.

There’s no diving on boarding day.

On the final day, we disembark the ship at around 8am. Depending on your flight time, you may have a few spare hours to look around town before the crew transfer you back to the airport; just bring your day bag, as the crew will look after your large luggage. When it’s time to head to the airport, the crew will take you there.

Once you're in the Solomon Islands, if you have any problems you need help with: Phone the local Bilikiki office in Honiara, local telephone number 20412.

Contact us to secure your space.