The Diving

Remote and truly beautiful the Solomon Islands is a diver's dream destination. Part of the coral triangle with a staggering diversity of marine species, coral and dive sites, it somehow remains one of the least dived areas of the world.

The Diving in the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands are home to some of the best reefs in the world and the diving is spectacular, diverse and colourful, There is not just one type of diving but an array of different habitats and ecosystems. There are pelagics and critters, wrecks, caves, amazingly healthy coral gardens, sand slopes, mangroves, walls and sea mounts. There is no ice diving but pretty much everything else is covered!

Amazingly there are very few dive operators in the Solomon Islands and this means that its extremely rare to see another dive boat during the trip. Having dive sites to ourselves is one of the many great things about the Solomon Islands.

On a trip you can expect to see some of the healthiest hard corals in the world, sheer walls covered in huge fans, magical caves and cuts with spectacular light beams, a unimaginable array of colourful tropical fish, tornados of schooling fish, sharks, tunas, travellies and mackerel hunting shoals of fusiliers. There are WW2 shipwrecks, modern wrecks, plane wrecks and dump sites complete with underwater trucks and bombs, a dive site where mantas pass overhead almost as though they are checking divers out more than the other way around and another where the healthiest reef imaginable can be enjoyed to the sound of a rumbling underwater volcano not too far away. There is also an amazing diversity of macro life and cuttlefish, octopus, a mardi gras of nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, coral hermit crabs and crocodile fish are just a few of the things seen on nearly every trip.    

Check out our galleries for some beautiful photos of what you might see and our itinerary page for more on specific dive sites.

Diving From MV Bilikiki

We offer 4 dives a day with a night dive as well. Bottom times are unlimited except on the odd dive where there are long transits to the next dive site, when we may limit things to 60 minutes.

Most of the dives are done using our tenders (called tinnies in the Solomons) which offer a shuttle back and forth to the dive site picking up guests where they surface and running them back to the boat straight away. The exit and entries for the tinnies are very easy and guests with mobility issues find them very manageable. Our crew load and unload diver's equipment and fill tanks so there is nothing for our guests to do other than to turn up and dive!

Photography and Video

On many dives the hardest thing about being a photographer in the Solomons is choosing between a macro or wide angle lens, either way people are rarely disappointed. There is an amazing amount of subjects for photographers and videographers to choose from and we host several trips a year with world renown photographers, some of whom come back to the Solomons year after year.

Bilikiki is completely set up for cameras and has charging stations (both 110V and 240V), camera tables both in the saloon and on the dive deck, separate rinse tanks for cameras and a crew very familiar with handling guests' cameras.

Snorkelling

There is fantastic snorkelling in the Solomon Islands and nearly every dive site has amazing things to see in the shallows. Snorkellers are more than welcome to join our regular dive trips, the conditions among the islands and our easy to use tender service means that the snorkelling is not only spectacular but also very easy. Please just get in touch for more information. 

Dive Conditions

The diving in the Solomons is generally very easy as the currents are mild, the water warm and calm and the visibility great. 

The weather in the Solomons is tropical year round but it can rain a lot in January and February (we do not operate then but do our yearly maintenance). Being so close to the equator cyclones are almost unheard of. The water temperatures range between 28-30° C (80-86° F) all year. Even when it is windy it is flat among the islands where the days are spent, making things comfortable and for easy entries and exits into the tinnies.

Visibility is generally excellent and while it is sometimes better or worse there does not seem to be a seasonal cycle to this. Even when it is windy, the seas are calm among the islands that we dive around during the day. Nearly all the sites are around islands so come all the way to the surface, guests can choose their own depths and there is no need for repetitive deep dives. There are a few dives with currents, like Devil's Highway, but generally the currents in the Solomons are very mild and our dives are planned with the current in mind to minimalise any swimming against it.

The conditions combined with the great service provided by Bilikiki's dive crew mean that diving with Bilikiki Cruises will be some of the easiest, most amazing diving you will ever do! 

What our guests say

"My bucket list trip. Outstanding crew and service. Superb diving. Stable and comfortable vessel and accommodations. The chefs do a marvellous job, eve... Read More"

Fred Catella

"Always a great time on the Bilikiki. Spectacular diving, excellent food and an amazing crew. One of the best laid out boats I've been diving on."

Mike Aitken

"Second time and still finding new sights to see! Wonderful trip well worth the effort....."

Reed Nescher

"Bilikiki is much more than a great dive boat with a fantastic crew sailing the remote Solomon Islands and discovering new and beautiful dive sites; it... Read More"

Thane Kreiner

"I have been on many Bilikiki trips over the past eight years, and I will keep going back again and again. I’ve dived in more than 15 countries and h... Read More"

Joanna O'Shea

"I had an amazing 10 nights onboard the Bilikiki! The dive sites were so diverse and so beautiful, we had some amazing encounters with wildlife, the cr... Read More"

Lauren Thomas

"I can't think of a better way to spend 12 days than on board Bilikiki. It is absolutely spectacular diving amongst healthy corals, colorful fishes, st... Read More"

Karen Doby

"I did my 1000th dive on my second trip on the Bilikiki. Last time was in 2005 and then I thought it was the best liveaboard I had been on. It still is... Read More"

Alex Davids

"Just really, really, really enjoyed our trip!!! We really fell in love with Pato and Fernando. They did an excellent job guiding us! The crew is as go... Read More"

Darlene Myers

"I have just returned from a 10 night stay on board the Bilikiki. It was my first trip on the Bilikiki however friends we were with have been 3 or 4 ti... Read More"

Pearl Corker

"Just got back from a 10 day trip on Bilikiki with Tina and Oli. The whole Bilikiki team made our trip a memorable one, despite the temperamental weath... Read More"

Jonathan Rose

"If I could rate them 6 stars I would!!! Amazing boat, crew, food and diving."

Brett Lobwein

"The trip of a lifetime! Impeccable crew, perfect organization, beautiful landscapes under and above water, new friends, incredible wildlife. My eyes a... Read More"

Stephanie Loubat