This week on board MV Bilikiki we had a group coming from the UK led by Dr. Charles Anderson for Nature Trek. This trip was not for diving but to explore the Solomon Islands and its cetacean life - so we were looking for as many dolphins and whales as possible.

During the 10 days cruising around the Florida and Russell Islands, Mary Island and Marovo Lagoon we were able to identify 14 different species, amongst which we saw pilot whales, pygmy killers whales, spotted dolphins, rough tooth dolphins, stripped dolphins, info-pacific bottlenose dolphins, melon-headed whales, spinner dolphins, Risso's dolphins, beaked whales and the rare and special Omura's whale which had a calf with it.

But it was not only about whales and dolphins as our guests also enjoyed a lot of bird watching. Hornbills, brahminy kites, Solomon sea eagles, different kinds of terns, Solomon's cockatoos, kingfishers and many others were the delight of these passionate bird watchers!

We also had lots of fun doing some snorkelling around the islands and afterwards identifying every single fish we had seen!

As always the veggie markets were a hit, as were the carving markets and the walk around the village of Peava lead by our crew member John. All our guests loved visiting Karumolun to see their traditional dancing and singing. Some of them told us they will never forget how beautiful the experience was!

Thanks a lot to everyone for being such a great crowd and for helping make it a wonderful trip. We hope we see you again soon! Have safe travels home!

And finally thanks a lot to our crew for the amazing job they do!

Happy bubbles!

Pato and Fernando

Whale & dolphin photos thanks to Ed Drewitt.