July 30 - August 10, 2019

July 30-August 10, 2019

The Bilikiki is back after a super 11 night trip! A big thank you to Jack and Sue Drafahl who organised most of the group and were onboard to celebrate Jack's 50th year in diving! It was great to see so many familiar faces onboard and to meet some new dive buddies too.

Although everyone had different ideas as to their favourite dive of the trip most people agreed that Barracuda Point at Mary Island was pretty special. There was so many bait fish around that big tunas were hunting on the point, add to this the large school of barracudas and jackfish, throw in some sharks, plus add the usual amounts of fusiliers, rainbow runners and snappers and you have a dive site with a lot of action! The B.O.B (back of boat) dive at Mary Island was also a favourite for some divers, it is out of the current and great for macro life. A lot of octopus action has been happening here recently with octopuses posing for lots of photos, this trip they were also joined by two cuttlefish. Peter Letts from Abyss Scuba Diving in Sydney liked the open pool diving at Mary Island so much that he did 6 dives while the Bilikiki was stern tied there and he didn’t even night dive!

The season for ghost pipefish has well and truly started with three different types being seen during the trip - robust, ornate and halemeda. Although we did not have a lot of sunny days the sun shone brightly for our spectacular dive at Mbulo Caves. This magical dive site bought a smile to everyone’s faces with the streaming light illuminating the caves amazingly. So many great fish and critters were seen on this trip I gave up counting, we saw regular size seahorses, pygmy seahorses, a pair of demon stingers, at least nine cuttlefish at Maravagi Bay, crocodile fish, jaw fish, twin spot gobies, mantis shrimps and so many reef top pipefish! I could go on but I think you get the idea!

Thank you to all of the Bilikiki Cruises' crew who look after us so well and fed us too much good food, and to Tina and Oli for making everything run so smoothly. I hope I get to dive with you all again soon.

Cheers,

Kellie Oldfield

Underwater photos thanks to Marsha Stamatakis

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

Octopus on the reef in the Solomon Islands

Archer fish Solomon Islands

Posted by Sam and Kellie on August 10, 2019

What our guests say

"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

"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

"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

"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

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

Brett Lobwein

"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

"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

"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