Christmas and New Years trip end of 2023!

Bilikiki is back from her last trip of the season! This last one has been 14 days of diving, snorkeling and many other festive things, since we got to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve onboard. We even got the chance to catch and release some nautilus thanks to Dr. Bruce Carlson & Marj Awai and the research they were doing. An experience of a lifetime!
The weather for this last trip has been simply AMAZING! The best we have had in our whole season! Fine and flat seas, beautiful sunny days and incredible visibility made the diving on those stunning coral reefs and Second World War sites even more incredible!
It seemed that all the fish life was present and from big to small all our favourite creatures decided to show up for our last trip! Special mention of the silver tip and leopard shark we got to see in the Western Province, the mobula rays and the eagle rays in the Russells, and the big schools of barracudas & jacks at Mary Island. That’s without forgetting the rivers of fusiliers and the schools of oceanic and redtoothed triggerfish everywhere...and spending almost an entire dive with a family of nine bumphead parrotfish. So many great experiences for our guests! And of course the macro life! WOW!!! Everything was there: glossodoris and nembrotha nudis, pygmy seahorses, robust ghost pipefish, ornates everywhere too, pygmy pipehorses, cockatoo waspfish, seahorses, hairy squat lobster, orangutan crabs, soft coral crabs, flounders, dart fishes, sand divers and so many others!
The carving markets, the village visits and the floating markets were, again, very special for our guests. Everyone is taking back beautiful memories of the Solomon Islands in their hearts! Another experience that will never be forgotten is Kavachi and its rumbling! It was loud this trip!
We would like to thank all our guests for choosing to spend their Christmas holidays with us, it was really nice to meet you all, to have you onboard and to start a new year with you!
A gigantic THANK YOU to our amazing crew for all their hard work this season, for taking such good care of all of us and for helping us with the snorkelers! (editors note: a big thank you to Pato and Fernando for all their hard work this season too - and all the trip reports!).
For now that's all, but Bilikiki will be back running trips in March, so, until we see you again...
Happy bubbles!
Pato&Fernando

Nautilus photos thanks to Pato & Fernando (Our Bubbles)
group onboard the Bilikiki in the Solomon Islands

looking at the nautilus.

Nautilus

Posted by Sam and Kellie on January 02, 2024

What our guests say

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

Brett Lobwein

"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

"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

"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

"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 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 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

"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

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

Reed Nescher

"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 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