Dive Review of Bilikiki Cruises/n/a in
Solomon Islands

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Bilikiki Cruises/n/a: "Great trip on the Bilikiki", Apr, 2024, by Chris Watt, NH, US ( Contributor 19 reports with 22 Helpful votes). Report 13044 has 3 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was our first trip on the Bilikiki and first time in the Solomon Islands. This was an 11-day trip = April 14-25, 2024. We flew Boston-LAX-Fiji-Honiara outbound…same route but via SFO on the return trip. We flew Fiji Airways for the LAX/SFO-Honiara flights. We were fortunate to be able to fly business class = Fiji business class was quite nice (Airbus A359 aircraft for the CA-Nadi flights), with a favorable business class cabin configuration (all seats have aisle access), good service and lie-flat beds on the A359. The Nadi airport is small and easy to navigate when changing flights. We did not add extra time before/after the trip = we boarded the boat on our day of arrival and departed the same day we got off the boat. My long-time dive buddy and I traveled together. Other folks on the boat were from Turkey, USA, and Canada. There were 2 folks on this trip who exclusively snorkeled and who seemed to also have a fabulous time. Arrival was painless, with the Bilikiki crew meeting us at the airport. The new international airport terminal in Honiara is gleaming – seemingly one of the most modern buildings in the Solomons. The interntional terminal does have some food/drink takeaway options for when you depart. We were met by a boat rep and our luggage was taken directly to the boat, while we were dropped off at the Heritage Park Hotel to have cold drinks/lunch while the boat was being readied for our arrival. Boarding the Bilikiki was later that afternoon – a short walk from the hotel to the dock. The boat = outstanding crew, well-run, comfortable, clean, and functional. Tina and Oli were our trip leaders – great folks. We had 2 single beds in our room with an attached bathroom, down one level from the main deck. Safety briefings were thorough. The bathroom has a separate stall shower, a very small sink and toilet. Temps in our cabin were on the cool side and very comfortable. Adequate storage under the beds, on wall hooks and on shelves in the room. The top deck has a large open area with chaise lounges and chairs (uncovered), one level up from the main dive deck. There was a separate charging room on this top level, making it easy for the crew to monitor (plenty of 120 and 220V outlets). Main level includes the dive deck on the stern, an indoor dining area (climate controlled) and outdoor diving area (covered but open air). Cabins were one level down. I found the food enjoyable and plentiful, but I am not much of a gourmet. Itinerary/Diving = with this longer trip, we visited the Russell Islands, the Mary and Florida Islands, Morovo Lagoon along with 3 village visits. A mixture of wrecks (WW2 Japanese ships and seaplane) and beautiful reefs. A few seamounts, but most dives were close to the various islands we passed by. Several caves/swim-throughs, a few where we penetrated the island and surfaced in a open-air cave in the jungle. Being able to hear a nearby underwater volcano that has been erupting was very cool. Water temps were warm, mainly 85-86F at depth and sometimes as warm as 88-90F in shallow water. As a result, visibility was variable – 100 feet in some spots; 30 feet in others. I did 42 of the 43 possible dives; my buddy did all 43. Although we did see some sharks and turtles, most of the focus was on the beautiful reefs and small fish and macro life. On that front, this trip really delivered, with some of the most beautiful reefs (both soft and hard corals) I’ve ever seen. TONS of anemones with various species of anemone fish. Lots of nudis. Crocodile fish. octopus, giant clams, Thorny Oysters, clouds of Anthias hovering around the corals, bumphead parrot fish, schools of barracuda. Generally, 5 dives/day including a night dive, except on longer boat travel days. We dove mainly from the two tender boats (“tinnies”). Entry via backroll and reboarding via ladder after handing up our gear. Crew was quick with spotting/pick-up of surfacing divers...not a big deal with the mainly calm surface conditions while we were there. Crew was very skilled in handling camera rigs. Most dives were 60 minutes. It was really easy and enjoyable diving – limited currents, warm water, beautiful reefs, and shallower depths (40-80 feet). Dive deck = each diver has their own tank station with basket storage below. Nitrox was consistently 32-33%+ given the mainly shallower diving. They do offer 100 CF/15L tanks for rent if you request in advance. Fresh towels were provided at the end on each dive…and there are 2 open air showers on one end of the dive deck. There is an outdoor camera table on the dive deck. Compressed air for cameras was available via an air gun set up on an adjacent tank. Camera towels are provided. There was also a “dry” camera table located in the climate-controlled room directly off the dive deck, where most folks did gear work and kept their cameras at night. Generally, plenty of room for all, although there was not a large volume of large camera rigs on this trip. Island visits were enjoyable = a mixture of carving markets, island tours with the local “chief” and one dancing/musical performance. Also interesting to watch the “floating markets” that came out to greet the Bilikiki at many of the small islands we anchored next 2….part of the symbiotic relationship that boat has the villages on these islands – buying produce for use on the boat, paying visitation fees and running volunteer medical visits a few times/year. We also added a 3-4 hour Guadalcanal WW2 site land tour on our last day arranged by the boat (we did not book this before traveling to the Solomons). After being dropped at the same hotel at the end of the cruise (the crew met us at the airport later with our luggage), we were picked up by a small bus for the tour, which included Red Beach, Henderson Field, Bloody Ridge, and the US Guadalcanal Memorial. Definitely a worthwhile way to spend your last day on the island before heading to the airport. We really enjoyed this trip – a well-run boat with a great crew, a fun group of guests, mellow, enjoyable diving, beautiful reefs, island visits, WW2 history. Would definitely like to return in the future – thanks to Tina, Oli, and the entire crew for making this such a fun trip!
Websites	Bilikiki Cruises
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	New England, FL Keys, St. Lawrence River, Red Sea, Maldives, Italy, UK/English Channel, Turks & Caicos, St. Vincent, Roatan, Costa Rica, Belize, Hawaii, Bermuda, Raja Ampat, Lembeh, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Galapagos, Socorro/Mexico, Philippines, St. Kitts
Closest Airport	Honiara	Getting There	Boston-LAX-Fiji-Honiara (Fiji Airways from LAX)
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	84-90°F / 29-32°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-100 Ft/ 9-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Most dives had a 60 minute time limit, but not aggressively enforced
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Comments included in main trip report

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Bilikiki Cruises/n/a in Solomon Islands

Bilikiki Cruises/n/a: "Great trip on the Bilikiki", Apr, 2024,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Bilikiki Cruises/n/a in
Solomon Islands