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Dive Review of Bilikiki Cruises in
Solomon Islands


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Bilikiki Cruises: "Diving, History and Culture", Aug, 2023,

by Gary & Robin Schiendelman, PA, US (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 27 reports with 43 Helpful votes). Report 12526 has 3 Helpful votes.

Photos Submitted with this Report


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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations For Subscribers Only Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude For Subscribers Only Environmental Sensitivity For Subscribers Only
Dive Operation For Subscribers Only Shore Diving For Subscribers Only
Snorkeling N/A

Overall Rating
Value for $$ For Subscribers Only
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced For Subscribers Only
Comments Our first trip to the Solomon’s on board the Bilikiki was in 2006 so it’s been a long time! We have wonderful memories of our first trip so we were not sure 2023 would live up to our expectations.

Fortunately, not much has changed! The boat is exactly as we remembered with only a couple of differences. The rooms are fairly spacious with a decent bathroom, enough shelving and hooks to make it easy to store your stuff. All of the cabins are on the lower deck. Most of the cabins have a double bed on bottom with a single bunk on top. That made for great extra storage space for couples. Especially good for us as our bags didn’t fit under the bed. There are a couple of cabins with 2 single beds. The only negative is the air conditioning. There are no individual controls and the room was too cold for us. We wound up covering the ac vent with duct tape. There is a fan in each room that we did use to keep air flow going. The bed was comfortable, linens decent. The sheets were changed once and the towels were changed every 3 or 4 days.

The main deck includes a salon where the buffet meals were laid out, a small bar and a camera table. A coffee station and fridge were available to guests at all times. There is a bartender but soft drinks and beer were on the honor system. Wine and liquor were also available with the assistance of the bartender. Payment for all drinks was at the end of the trip.

In front of the salon was the outdoor dining area. This area is covered and there are vinyl curtains that were raised or lowered depending on weather.

The dive deck was pretty standard. Everyone is assigned a station with a basket underneath for bits and pieces. Tanks are filled in place. Nitrox was strongly encouraged and fills were consistently 31 or 32%. A crew member would analyze while you watched and then recorded on a log sheet. Rinse tanks (2 for ca ... Subscribe to get the full story. For Subscribers Only  Active subscribers continue reading here
Websites Bilikiki Cruises   

Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Isl, Red Sea, Maldives, South Africa, Mozambique, Cocos Isl, Galapagos, Socorro, Palau, Var Caribbean locations, New Jersey, Florida, No Carolina, Philippines, Fiji
Closest Airport Honiara Getting There Philadelphia to LA to Fiji to Honiara
We over nighted in Fiji and Honiara

Dive Conditions
Weather windy, rainy, cloudy Seas
Water Temp 83-85°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M

Dive Policy
Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No deco
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw
Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish For Subscribers Only
Small Critters For Subscribers Only Large Fish For Subscribers Only
Large Pelagics For Subscribers Only

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter For Subscribers Only Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's For Subscribers Only Shore Facilities For Subscribers Only
UW Photo Comments Cameras were carefully transferred to and from the tinnies. There are two large rinse tanks on the ... Subscribe to get the full story. For Subscribers Only  Active subscribers continue reading here
Was this report helpful to you?
Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By Mary McCombie in CT, US at Sep 15, 2023 17:11 EST  
Just back from there, and your report is really thorough, not to mention nicely written. A real resource.
By report author: Gary & Robin Schiendelman in PA, US at Sep 16, 2023 08:54 EST  
Thank you for your kind words!
By report author: Gary & Robin Schiendelman in PA, US at Sep 16, 2023 08:54 EST  
Thank you for your kind words!
By Beth Gregory in NC, US at Nov 09, 2023 15:50 EST  
Thank for the thorough trip report. It helps deciding on where to dive next!
By report author: Gary & Robin Schiendelman in PA, US at Nov 10, 2023 09:03 EST  
So many places and so little time! Thanks for your nice comment.
By report author: Gary & Robin Schiendelman in PA, US at Nov 10, 2023 09:03 EST  
So many places and so little time! Thanks for your nice comment.
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Other dive reports on Bilikiki Cruises

All Solomon Islands Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Solomon Islands
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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