Another amazing 10 day trip has finished, this time with 20 divers from American research organisation REEF. The trip was under the experienced guidance of Christy Semmens, who was celebrating doing her 1000th fish survey.

The participants were equipped with slates to identify as many fish species as possible on the various dive sites and habitats around the Solomon Islands. The participants were amazed not only by the variety of dive sites and habitats, but also by the number of different species that inhabit these areas. As soon as we entered the water the divers tried to note every fish they saw, some of them familiar species, others new to many of the participants. The late afternoons were filled with presentations by Christy about the different fish species, their habitats and their particular markings and colorations to make identification easier. 
 
An abundance of fish species was recorded on this trip and we are looking forward to the complete results once all data has been uploaded to the REEF website. The Solomon Islands has an amazing diversity of fish so the results are sure to be interesting.
 
Our trip also included several visits to the villages in Marovo Lagoon to see the magnificent wood carvings produced there by the local craftsmen, as well as a guided tour around the village of Karumolun by the community chief Raymond to show our guests how life works on a small island here in the Solomons. 
 
We would like to thank all our guests for being so enthusiastic on every single dive and a special thank you goes out once again to all the Bilikiki crew for their hard work during the trip.
Best fishes
Tina & Oli
 
Photos thanks to Tina Gauer

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