Dive Review of
Dive Gizo/Adventure Sports/Gizo Hotel in
Solomon Islands/Gizo

Been to Cozumel, Roatan, and Fiji

Dive Conditions

You can dive your own profile, staying in sight of the DM. Safety stops
were usually on shallow reefs under the boat, so you could stay until you
ran out of air, if you wanted to.   

There wasn't a fresh water bucket on the boat for cameras. I was the only
one with a camera and didn't make an issue of it. I just made sure I soaked
it back in the room. Make sure you bring what ever you need.  

Overall Rating

The flights (and there are several) are carefully Orchestrated, and if you
miss one connection, you might find yourself hanging around for an extra
day or two or seven.

The Gizo Hotel, is the best place on the island. Rooms are plain but clean,
comfortable, with lots of room, and it has a small pool. There isn't a
phone or TV, but each room does have a refrig, and our room was air
conditioned. The staff is very friendly and makes every effort to address
your needs. All the fresh water is rain water, collected off the roofs and
stored in cisterns. For drinking, bottled water is your only source. It is
available all over and runs about 50 cents (US) to a dollar at the hotel
per bottle. Meals are not included in the plan. So all meals and drinks are
charged to your room. Sodas are about a buck and beer about two. Among the
several great meals we sampled were; "the catch of the day",
(usually king fish or Mahi Mahi) Mud crab, several chicken dishes and few
pasta dishes. All were very good. Our bill was about 200 US dollars for the
week, and that included the 5% surcharge for using a credit card. The next
morning we went to breakfast. They start at 7:00 and have a nice menu, I
think we had eggs every day, with fruit and cereal. No juice, but plenty of
coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
You will need Solomon dollars to pay for stuff at the shops and a few meals
at restaurants other than the hotel restaurant. The best place to exchange
money is the Gizo bank, a block or so from the hotel. (there are actually 2
banks) We used "the bank of Danny" who was gracious to exchange
money for us. The rate is about 7 to 1. (Sol - US) On our first walk
through town, (ok it is more like a fishing village, it was raining and the
roads are dirt) we found a "department" store a block away and
sodas were only 50 cents, so we would get drinks there and kept them in the
frig. Another tiny shop in "town" had snickers bars for our
chocolate cravings. At least half of the shops are closed on Saturdays and
all are closed on Sundays.

Danny Kennedy is the dive shop owner and operator of Dive Gizo/Adventure
Sports. I wouldn't say he has a monopoly, but he is "Mr Gizo
Diving". He is originally form Florida, and has lived in the Solomon's
for over 20 years. He knows every dive site and trains his own guys. He has
two shops, one right in the hotel, but the main one is a 5-10 minute walk
through town, across the street from the boats. He would pick us up at 9:00
every morning, and return us at the end of the day. He tries very hard to
get to know everyone, and meet every ones needs. He arranged dinners at
local restaurants and even made time to have dinner with us more often than
not. He is quite the character, and fun to get to know.

The boats (there are several) are small and fast, (dual outboards) with cut
outs for each tank. The one we used most often had a canopy roof for shade.
(Bring sun block!) 10 divers are "snug" with gear and extra
tanks, but we averaged 6-7 each day and were comfortable. Most dive sites
are only 10 minutes away. The standard tank is an AL 95. They do have
smaller ones for the women and some preferred the AL75, or the AL62. All
tanks were consistently filled to 3000psi. The DMs are very competent and
provided very thorough dive briefs. At the end of the day, (about
2:30-3:30) every one would take their own mask and wetsuit and leave
everything else. The DMs would take care of breaking things down, rinsing
it, and hanging it to dry for you. It would be in the boat ready for you in
the morning too. After rinsing all your stuff, it can stay at the dive
shop. There is plenty of room and plenty of hangers. We just took our
computers back to the room, to fill in our log book.

Surface intervals averaged about 2 hours, and were an absolute joy. We
would go to Danny's island (yes he has his own island "Njari")
and grill some Mahi Mahi, or have some chili tuna sandwiches, fruit and
cookies. A few times, we would go to Mbabanga island, (a small island) and
visit Fatboy's restaurant. Grant (the owner) is one of kind, very friendly
and a great guy. I think he is originally from Australia and settled in the
Solomon's several years ago. Fatboy's is a nice place and has a mean fish
and chips. Also on Sundays he puts up a great buffet with live
entertainment. (good stuff) Both are tropical paradise settings, and simply
beautiful.

Final comments: Although the traveling to and from were a hassle and
frustrating, I'd have to say it was worth it. Our stay in Gizo was
outstanding. We had a great time, learned some history, made new friends
and the diving was fabulous. If you can be "flexible" in your
travels, (a little extra time and a little extra cash) I highly recommend
giving Gizo a try.
A full trip report (with lots of pictures) can be found here:
http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=3087

 

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