July 9 - 19, 2019 trip report

July 9-19, 2019

The Bilikiki is back from a fantastic trip with a great bunch of divers from the USA, Spain, Brazil, the UK and Australia. A big thank you to Geri Murphy for bringing most of the divers along and to Marty Halldin for sharing his super photos with us.

This trip had many highlights but for me my favourite dive was Twin Tunnels where, although I chose not to go down the tunnels on this occasion, I saw about 10 grey reef sharks hunting. At one point a gigantic tuna caught a surgeon fish from amongst a huge school and that bought all the sharks in like crazy! That dive was followed by a close second favourite at Kicha where the hard coral garden and sheer amounts of fish life were incredible. I didn’t know where to look with all the fusiliers, jacks, barracudas, snappers and batfish! Other peoples' favourite dive was Maravagi Bay where we saw all sorts of weird and wonderful macro subjects plus about six cuttlefish! Others preferred the WW2 sites, we dived wrecks including a Japanese freighter, a dump site and a seaplane. There was great viz on the Mavis Seaplane and with the help of a strategically placed red light to add atmosphere (I think) it was one of the best dives I have done there for ages - Oli was on fire too spotting a demon stinger, snake eel and so many reef top pipefish on the reef. Other divers were thrilled to see their first pygmy seahorse or were stunned by how photogenic the soft coral at Wickham Island was.

Although we had more than our fair share of rain and cloudy weather, when the sun did come out we took full advantage of it! We all enjoyed our village visits to look at and buy carvings in Marovo Lagoon and in the Russells everyone loved the cultural experience and walkabout where we could ask Chief Raymond any questions we had about village life.

A huge thank you to the Bilikiki crew and the onboard managers, Tina and Oli who all work so hard to make everything run so smoothly. It was lots of fun to meet some new dive buddies and to catch up with old friends. I hope to dive with you all again someday, especially Nati once she gets her Open Water license!

Cheers,

Kellie Oldfield

All underwater photos are thanks to Marty Halldin

Group photo of the divers onboard the Bilikiki in the Solomon Islands

Bat fish while diving in the Solomon Islands

Eggs of a clown fish taken while scuba diving in the Solomon Islands

Posted by Sam and Kellie on July 19, 2019

What our guests say

"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 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 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 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

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

Brett Lobwein

"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

"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

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

Reed Nescher

"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

"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 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

"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