Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Bilikiki in
Solomon Islands

Bilikiki, Jun, 2006,

by Brian Morrow, GA, USA (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 21 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 2844 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 1 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Let me start with the fact that this was an outstanding trip and we are going back in 2008.

The weather for our 12 night trip was mostly cloudy although a couple on the previous charter indicated that the weather on that trip was sunny. Sun would have been nice for the photo ops but you cannot control the weather.

The Bilikiki is an outstanding operation with a long tenured and talented crew. We came back spoiled rotten from the service. Diving is mainly done off of the "tinnies" which take you right to the reef and the tinnie drivers come and get you wherever you surface. The numbers and types of fish are incredible and the variety of dive sites, wrecks, walls, slopes, channels is great.

The food is plentiful and good. The chocolate chip cookies brought out the "Cookie Monster" in many of us. Fresh fish and fruits and vegetables are purchased from the local villagers who visit by canoe.

The cabins are the largest we have seen on a liveaboard and the air conditioning worked well. Overall the ship is kept in good repair all around.

Getting to the Solomon Islands is a long haul from the east coast. We flew to LA and had a 3 hour layover, then 14 hours to Brisbane. We overnighted in Brisbane and then took the flight to Honiara the next morning. We were greeted by the Bilikiki staff and taken to a hotel lobby to wait for about an hour or two and then taken to the boat to board. On the return trip you depart the boat first thing in the morning and then have to kill six or seven hours before the flight to Australia leaves. Going back via Fiji saves a few hours because the plane leaves two or three hours earlier. As it was we went to Brisbane and on to Sydney for a couple of extra days since we had never been there before.

Bottom line, not cheap to get there but well worth the trip.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving [Unspecified]
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, cloudy Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 86-87°F / 30-31°C Wetsuit Thickness 2
Water Visibility 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Divers were left to dive their own profiles.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments There is a separate padded table for camera equipment and also a separate rinse tank. Crew handled all photo equipment onto and off of the skiffs and treated it as they would their own.
Was this report helpful to you?
Report currently has 1 Helpful vote
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 118 dive reviews of Solomon Islands and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest
is an agency for travelers that scuba dive. Consider us THE experts for planning your diving vacation to Solomon Islands.
Bilikiki Cruises
Bilikiki Cruises
Bilikiki Cruises is a long running, well regarded operator running superb live-aboard diving in the remote and beautiful Solomon Islands.

Want to assemble your own collection of Solomon Islands reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.12 seconds