Bilikiki, July 1996, Lynn Phillips and Leonard Timinski, Woodland Hills, CA. "Water 82 t0 85 degrees, Vis: 60 to 150 plus. Extraordinary service and experience. Bilikiki is a big old freighter, but it has been outfitted superbly for diving. Once you set up your gear, you never have to lift it again until you depart from the boat. All diving from two specially outfitted tinnies designed to hold tanks, divers. and cameras. Carry your fins and mask into the tinnies which rotate between the Bilikiki and the dive site, dropping divers off and picking them up. Tinnie drivers are expert ­­ average time from a diver surfacing to being picked up is 23 seconds! You hand your gear and climb up a convenient ladder. Two hot water showers on the dive deck; convenient areas to hang wet skins. Towels for divers and special camera towels after every dive. . . . Diving spectacular. Little or no current on non-drift dives. Boat anchors at night, never on a dive site, so as not to damage the reef. On dive sites, the mother ship stands by to service the tinnies. No bad dive sites. . . In the Russell Islands. the views of the over­hanging jungle from a depth of 80 feet were dramatic. Steep walls with caves and crevices drop off directly from the islands. Interior island "salt water ponds" offer spectacular inner jungle views. Wall adjacent to "Mirror Pond" was sheer and covered solidly with every type of hard and soft coral imaginable, as well as every type of sponge. anemone, crustacean, and fish, etc. . . . Mborokua Island had schools of large fish such as barracuda and jacks which swirl and undulate in circles by the thousands. Great snorkel. Big game trolling with hand lines from the tinnies; caught a large barracuda, but friends who provided fresh sashimi by catching three yellowfin tuna. . . . Jim and Kay have been managing the Bilikiki for 6 years with a crew of 12 Solomon Islanders who have been working aboard for as long as 14 years. They take great pride. Either Jim or Kay go on nearly every dive and are happy to point out rare, hard to find critters. Camera room with plenty of space to work on the top deck. Rental camera equipment is available as well as tools for minor repair. E­6 processing. Boat also carries some "spare parts" for dive gear. After having my gear completely serviced just before I left, on the fifth dive my high pressure hose blew. Not only did they have a new one aboard, but Jim even repaired and re­assembled the gear for me. . . . All 10 cabins are the same ­­ large, with a double lower and single upper bunk and central air conditioning. All have large private heads with large separate shower, sink, and toilet (a "real" bathroom). . . . food was good, fresh, plentiful, and varied. Most meals consisted of two entrees. Fresh baked snacks between dives."

Bilikiki, June 1997, Mark Cortright, Arcata, CA. "Great trip, as good as it gets. The boat only had 9 divers and can hold 20 or so, that helped a bunch. vis: 50-75 ft. water: 83 degrees. Tons of macro subjects. The crew were exceptional."

Bilikiki, August 1997, John & Lee Scruggs, Loveland, CO. "Flew to Sydney, then Brisbane, overnighted, then to Honiara and the Bilikiki. Best dive boat stay ever and we've been on 6. Staff professional and friendly. Anything you asked for was graciously received. Jim and Kay went out of their way to be helpful, showing you critters, promptly developing film. Diving not up to the Pacific standards, but mother nature had a hand in that; Jim tried to find good locations for photographers. Beautiful fans, lots of small critters, cuttlefish, eels. Best dive was muck dive outside Honiara. Strange and wonderful things. Everything about the Bilikiki and staff are 5 star. . . . Cathy Church and Herb Rafael excellent guides. Cathy's lectures educational and fun. Cathy found elusive harlequin ghost pipefish, which she shared with us."

Solomon Sea, September 1996, Arthur Card, Manchester, NH. "Trip coincided with a full moon, so currents were at their strongest. Brought plenty of life, but also kept visibility down. Fred Douglas and his crew were never shy about consuming fuel to find sites where the visibility would increase. . . . Reefs are pristine! We all were on a prophylactic against malaria (LARIAM). We never even saw or heard a mosquito! No E­6 processing on board so U/W photographers may not be "super happy" here. But the crew was great, food was good and plentiful. Accommodations were fine and the diving was very good indeed."

Solomon Sea, May 1997, Mel Cundiff, Boulder, CO. "Staterooms were more roomy than most live-aboards. Lack of diving restrictions was great vis: 20-70 ft. water: 78-83 degrees. Lots of critters overall, but diversity not as great as PNG and Indonesia. Not the best set-up for photographers i.e.. limited camera space, no E-6 process. Boat comfort/crew a major plus. Cpt. Fred Douglas went out of his way to accommodate us. Divemaster Brian Bailey was a little anxious to guide us consistently, deep waters he found lots of critters though."

Solomon Sea, July 1997, Gill Cruz, Pleasanton, CA. "The crew could have been better trained, but not a big thing. Skipper Brain Bailey was excellent and very knowledgeable. Better communication about dive itinerary day-to-day was needed. However, once we knew what was what the dives were great. The cook could have varied the menu more, chicken gets old fast. More snacks between dives were needed, not a Peter Hughes boat. Overall, trip was great. vis: 40-90 ft. water: 80 degrees. Diving was excellent, good variety, friendly people and all the crew were thoughtful. Diving quality is excellent."

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