Bilikiki, November 1997, Noel Taylor & Mike Whitlow, New York, NY. Big boat so you have the luxury of space. Cabins have ensuite showers and toilets. Large covered deck space for meals, reading. Meals and snacks are plentiful and good. Diving almost exclusively from two tinnies generally at preplanned times; crew is happy to accommodate other times. Five dives/day generally. Lots of space for gearing up and for camera paraphernalia; E-6 processing is nicely handled with a good viewing area. . . . Sizable crew handles this large boat, the tinnies, cooking, etc. All kind and helpful. Michael and Cindy act as hosts, dive briefers, troubleshooters, E-6 processors, etc. Good-humored, knowledgeable, lots of fun. . . . Tremendous soft corals, towering plumes of orange, yellow, pink, purple and more. Huge fans. Long nosed hawk fish, tiny ovulate cowries and other animals are found. Veritable bloom of ghost pipefish, harlequin and robust, variety of sizes and colors on a dozen different sites. Octopus mating time-many octopi boldly sitting atop coral heads on the make if not actually in flagrante delicto. Didn't see many pelagics (a manta, some gray reef sharks, lots of turtles) but on a previous visit we spent time in the water with five orcas in 84 degree water with 200 ft viz, so the potential is there. Great muck diving at Ghadarui. (Ph: 011-677-20412,

Fax: 011-677-23897, e-mail: bilikiki@welkam.solomon.com.sb)

Bilikiki, November 1997, Mel McCombie, New Haven, CT. Most satisfying all-around dive trip I've taken, owing to the pristine conditions of diving and the fabulous staff. Variety of diving on two week cruise staggering, from big pelagic, high current dives to critter-filled muck dives. Species that are rare most places are common in the Solomons from harlequin ghost pipefish to flashlight fish. Sharks, mantas, turtles, something for all. . . . Boat is comfortable, the food surprisingly good and wholesome (excellent local produce), the staff the sweetest, most accommodating. Bridget Wilms and Chris Newbert led this trip, and they were a daily delight. The only problem is getting there, but it's well worth it. P.S. El Niño noticeable . . . water was cooler than normal (79-81 degrees F instead of 82-85 degrees F).

Bilikiki, December 1997, Linda Hauley, Oak Grove, MO. Boat comfortable, camera room good, dive deck good with large camera table and two showers and camera rinse tanks. Crew rinsed gear and sets up for next dive, handles gear in and out of boat, helps put on tank on way to dive site in the tinnies. Never have to move around with tank above water! Never have to wait long for pick up tinnie delivery excellent. Food so good, between dive snacks irresistible. Island visits for shopping and singing were great. (Our group leader Lisa of Dive Makai in Hawaii had her guitar and everyone joined in the fun.) Our group found the first pigmy seahorse ever seen in the Solomon Islands! Our guide got the first picture!

Bilikiki, January 1998, Thomas Harvey, Hillsdale, NJ. If you go to Honiara from Port Moresby watch out for over-weight baggage. It cost me $350. . . . Great dive boat. Huge boat with the best pick-up boats, thirteen crew and thirteen guests. The crew was super. Help you with any request; divemaster was a real marine life expert. No big pelagics, great diving and lots to see. I especially enjoyed the W.W.II wrecks on Guadalcanal. Great dives. . . . They need Nitrox on board and they do too many macro muck dives. Watch your bar bill. We threw ourselves a New Years Eve party and the boat manager dropped a huge bill on us. You get many opportunities to meet Solomon Islander and see their culture.

Bilikiki, January 1998, Thomas Harvey, Hillsdale, NJ. Owners treat native crew like children including native captain. Watch your (honor code) bar bill. They ripped me off for a lot of bucks. Vis: 75-150 ft. Water: 80-81 degrees.

Bilikiki, May 1998, Brent M. Myers, Fort Myers, FL. Water flat, some currents, 80 degrees. 5-minute safety stops were encouraged. Dive operation, run by the Australian boat managers, Michael and Cindy Gooding, was superb. Wonderful hosts. Dives well planned with excellent briefings. Five dives/day. Dive deck is spacious. Crew set up gear, placed it in aluminum chase boats, and after your dive would unload your gear, rinse it, and put it on a new tank. Luxury diving . . . . Food outstanding. Managers provide the Solomon Islanders seeds and they grow fresh produce to sell back to the Bilikiki. Each day islanders paddled their dugout canoes up with fresh produce to sell. Accommodations 5 star; each cabin had wood paneling, private bath with flush toilet and shower, air conditioning, a double bunk below with a single bunk above. 14 passengers out of a maximum of 20 so several had private rooms. Salon had large tables for buffet style meals at mealtime and as camera work spaces at other times. We ate meals in the covered forward deck with views of beautiful tropical islands. Upper deck had sundeck with chairs, photo room with charging stations and daily E-6 processing, and a laundry. Diving was macro heaven with a huge variety of small creatures. Anemone fish, sea snakes, cuttlefish, lionfish, giant clams, pipefish, and nudibranchs. Soft corals magnificent. Feather stars were sometimes seen free swimming at night. A few reef sharks and one hammerhead. Barracuda Point had a large school of jacks that swam in unusual formations. White Beach fantastic muck diving with many unusual creatures; munitions and other equipment dumped by the allies at the end of WWII. Convinced them to take us to the Hirokawa Maru and the Kinugawa Maru at Guadalcanal, Japanese supply ships sunk by the Allies. Completely covered with soft corals and anemones. Nearby is a nearly intact B-17 bomber with its 50 caliber gun turrets pointing to the surface. Do the 11-day cruise since the 7-day cruise does not go to Morovo Lagoon where some of the best diving is encountered. Opportunities to visit some villages where the islanders do beautiful wood carvings. They gladly accept cash but are more interested in trading for consumer goods found at any K-Mart: men's clothing, shoes (particularly inexpensive sandals), hats, fishhooks, and inexpensive watches.

Bilikiki, June 1998, Tom Doeppner and Katrina, Providence, RI. Rained occasionally, never for long, mostly sunny. Some currents, but never serious. Vis 30-70, water 80 and 84. No restrictions. Sharks on many dives. Occasional manta, a few turtles. New managers Mike and Cindy Gooding are outstanding. White Beach: archer fish, razor fish, needlefish, and mandarin fish. Lumalike Passage: sharks, barracuda, lionfish, cuttlefish. Mary Island in 1991 had large schools of Jacks, but this time only a small school. Crew helpful, friendly. One never has to touch one's gear when you're out of the water. Mike or Cindy went on every dive. They would point things out to you if you wanted them to. When we surfaced a tinny was right there to pick you up. Food as good as any we've had on a liveaboard. Fresh fish, fresh vegetables and fruit. Breakfasts were boring. Cabins adequate: double bed on the bottom, single on top. Reasonable storage space, your own bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. E-6 processing was done daily. Ample space to spread things out in the main areas.

Bilikiki, July 1998, Bob Flatt, Portland OR. Sunny, occasional cloudy day, water: calm & flat (a few dives with surge, water temp: 80-82 F, visibility: 60 to 110 ft no restrictions. Next time will stop a couple of days in Honiara for shore diving where there are a couple of excellent wreck dives. Water was a little colder than expected (July is winter), specially in the Floridas. Take an extra layer. Dive and overall operations management on this boat is excellent.

Solomon Sea, April 1998, Sherwood & Judith Smith, Olympia, WA. Six-day trip to the Russell Islands, Florida Islands, and Guadalcanal. Well-thought-out, five star live-aboard with an accommodating crew and excellent food-sets the standard for what live-aboards ought to be. Seamanship of the crew beyond reproach. Six divers and six crew on a boat capable of handling 10 guests, created the ambience of a private charter. BCs and regs set up on tanks when we came aboard, and didn't need to be changed until we left. Tanks filled within ten minutes after every dive. Cabins spacious, with individual heads with showers in each. Plenty of table area in main salon for camera work, and a padded counter and rinse tank on the dive deck for camera gear. Dive entries from a spacious swimstep, or from a tinnie with tank racks. Unlimited fresh water, with a shower on the dive deck, and a limitless supply of fresh towels. Good fishing while traveling between dive sites produced fresh sashimi almost daily. . . . John Carr comes as close to the perfect divemaster as we've experienced. His knowledge of the local terrain, seamanship, and facility as a raconteur need to be experienced. Dive briefings detailed and accurate, with appropriate historical anecdotes. Although he kept a record of each individual's dive parameters, we were free to plan and dive our own profiles, four a day, at least. Schedule flexible, and sites picked from John's varied suggestions. . . . Waters protected, with little sea running, visibility 75-150 ft, water 86-88 degrees. Varied fish life, from the whole spectrum of reef inhabitants, to schools of jacks and barracuda. Some interesting downdraft currents were found at tide changes on Mary Island. Diving the Bonegi wrecks on Guadalcanal at night was almost a religious experience. . . . Many itineraries possible by prior arrangement: to dive the shallower wrecks of the great sea battles of WWII in this area. We made stateside arrangements via e-mail with Island Dreams Travel, Houston, TX, at www.islandreams.com. (Ph: 011-677-25300/24936, Fax: 011-677-25300, Website: www.SolomonSea.com)

Spirit of Solomons, September 1997, Mark Strickland and Suzanne Forman, Patong Beach, Thailand. Visited the Florida and Russell Island groups. Extremely comfortable boat, hot showers on the dive deck and fresh towels after each dive. Well organized, striking a good balance between maximum diving opportunities and a relaxed, casual atmosphere. Local crew friendly & helpful, especially careful handling delicate camera gear. Photographers will find themselves right at home; camera work area is spacious & well fit, rinse tanks are adequate size, and E-6 processing is reliable and readily available. Food was very good, with a good variety of dishes and plenty of local produce; after-dive snacks often included fresh baked goodies. Manager/Divemasters Mike and Cindy Gooding deserve special mention; they went out of their way to be helpful at every opportunity, always ready to offer advice or lend a hand in spite of their already demanding schedule. . . . Close to 1000 islands and countless reefs. Vis only fair during our trip (20-50 ft), but did get one day with 80 ft. Never had a bad dive; more than enough feature creatures to keep us busy! Although some commercial fishing exists, the reefs seemed pristine; excellent, undamaged coral growth and healthy fish populations were the rule. Wide variety of sites, lots of walls, coral gardens, sloping reefs, interesting WWII wreckage. Great muck diving, especially at the wreck of the Ann. Leru Cut: shafts of sunlight create an eerily beautiful effect as they filter down into a narrow crevice. Mary Island: school of barracuda numbers over 1000, often joining a similar sized school of bigeye jacks, forming a giant living cyclone of fish. Photographed a saltwater crocodile at Mirror Pond. (Ph: 011-677-20412, Fax: 011-677-23897, e-mail: bilikiki@welkam.solomon.com.sb)

Spirit of Solomons, October 1997, Lauren Greider, Encinitas, CA. Best trip we have taken. Vis not as great as Palau or Coral Sea but nutrient rich water creates an environment for an incredible variety of creatures. Saw and photographed macro and wide angle critters from the ghost pipe fish to a salt water crocodile. (We were 4 feet away!) Vis: 60-100 ft. water: 80-81 degrees. No restrictions for divers with computers. We were all advanced divers. Boat very comfortable and food great. Captains were great tour guides and did E-6 processing. Don't know of any location this exotic that needs only a day of travel from L.A.