July 12-22, 2023 trip

Bilikiki is back in Honiara after another amazing 10 days of diving around the Solomon Islands. This time we were joined by 19 guests from the United States, Switzerland and New Zealand.

The turbulent weather did not deter us from enjoying the multitude of marine life that we encountered on every dive. Kicha in Marovo Lagoon proved to be a favourite amongst our guests with schooling barracudas, rainbow runners, spade fish, grey reef sharks and a stunning coral reef to match it all. For our dive at Mbulo Caves the sun came out and our guests were delighted by the light rays beaming into these caverns, it made for some stunning photos. A group of 8 massive bumphead parrot fish passed us along the site’s coral slope, while the macro lovers enjoyed soft coral crabs, nudibranchs, white bonnet clown fish and a very tiny pygmy seahorse. During one of our safety stops, we were entertained by three big porcupine fish chasing each other in circles - what a laugh!

During our visit to the wood carvers many souvenirs were purchased as a reminder of this visit and the custom dance and singing in Karumolun village in the Russell Islands was highly enjoyed by all too.

Many of our guests were interested in the WW2 history of the Solomons, so diving at White Beach to see the trucks, ammunition and even coca cola bottles from this era was a definite highlight for many. The critter lovers were treated to signal gobies, jawfish, nudibranchs and even mandarin fish at this site too. Back in the Floridas, a school of mobula rays calmly passed us in Maravagi Bay, while a big marbled ray waited for us at Petrol Point. Before heading back to Honiara, we ended our trip with dives on two more  WW2 sites, the always popular Mavis Seaplane and the adjacent Ghavutu Wharf.

Once again we would like to thank all our guests for diving with us, it was a pleasure to have you all onboard, and how nice to see some familiar faces yet again! Our heartfelt thanks also go out to our hard working crew who, as always, handled everything so safely in sometimes difficult weather conditions! You guys rock!

Tagio tumas
Tina & Oli

 

Underwater Photos by Melissa Foo

Group of divers onboard the Bilikiki in the Solomon Islands

divers in Leru Cut Solomon Islands

Batfish in seagrass at Maravagi Bay Solomon Islands

 

Posted by Sam and Kellie on July 22, 2023

What our guests say

"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

"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 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

"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

"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

"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

"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

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

Reed Nescher

"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

"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

"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