Diving the Solomon Islands: Aboard the Legendary Bilikiki

For the last 11 days I have been on board the wonderful Bilikiki Liveaboard on the Solomon Islands. I have been on a lot of different liveaboards and this ranks right up there amongst the best I have been on anywhere in the world.

My journey to the Solomons brought me in through Brisbane which offers 5 flights per week, many of the other guests had travelled in from the West coast of America through Fiji. Solomon Islands are a remote place, but it is this remote location that allows it to be an unspoiled diving paradise.

Diving on the Bilikiki Liveaboard in the Solomon Islands offers an exceptional underwater experience, with access to some of the most pristine and diverse dive sites in the Pacific. The itinerary typically includes a mix of vibrant coral gardens, dramatic drop-offs, WWII wrecks, and rich marine life, including schools of pelagics, colorful reef fish, and abundant macro critters. The remote, unspoiled reefs around destinations like Gizo, Marovo Lagoon, and the Florida Islands provide divers with clear waters, excellent visibility, and the opportunity for both drift dives along walls and relaxed, leisurely exploration in calm bays with incredible shallow coral reefs.

The Bilikiki Vessel

The Bilikiki Liveaboard is a well-established and renowned dive vessel that has been operating in the Solomon Islands since 1997. Originally built in Australia, the boat was specifically redesigned for long-range liveaboard diving, with a focus on comfort and safety. Over the years, the Bilikiki has been meticulously maintained and updated to provide divers with modern amenities, spacious cabins, and a dedicated dive deck. The boat is an older vessel, but it has the most impeccable reputation, much of which is also due to the incredible crew and cruise directors.

The Bilikiki offers a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere which is created by the most wonderful hosts Pato and Fernando. They have been working on the Bilikiki since 2018 and they welcome you into their home with a warm open embrace. They take great pride in sharing the experience of the Bilikiki and the Solomon Islands with all of their guests who by the end of the trip leave as friends

Boat facilities and food

The cabins are well appointed and functional, all featuring a similar set up of a bunk bed system with a larger double bed on the bottom and a smaller single bed above making them working for both couples and sharing individuals. All cabins have an ensuite bathroom with shower facilities.

The dining room is where meals are served, then a separate dining area can accommodate up to 20 guests and the 4 members of the dive crew for dinner. Food onboard was freshly prepared for each meal, along with the welcome addition of home made cookies and popcorn in between dives. The boat has a team of three chefs preparing food all through the day, offering a wide variety of meals and themed evenings. All of the groups various dietary requirements were all well taken care of.

One of the highlights of the trip, in association with the food was the proliferation of floating markets which we encountered in various places around the Solomon Islands. Local people bringing in freshly grown vegetables and fruits of all varieties for the boat to stock up on as the week went on. The hustle and bustle of the markets was managed by Pato, our charming cruise director who has built up friendships with people from all over the Solomon Islands over her years of running these floating markets. The relationship the boat has with the local communities are real demonstrations of how community tourism can benefit local people and create a sustainable relationships between tourists and locals

The dive deck on board provides ample space for both preparing for the dive and also for conducting the briefings. For photographers there is a large rinse tank for cameras, a large table dedicated for them and also a camera area within the main cabin of the vessel where work can be conducted on the cameras. There are 5 dives per day offered to every guest, 4 day dives ad one night dive. Times are usually 07.30, 10.45, 13.45, 16.45 and 19.30 with meals or snacks served between all the dives

Standard tanks on board are 80 CUFT aluminum tanks, a few larger tanks are available but they are steel tanks. All guests get complimentary 32% nitrox included as part of the diving package, a welcome addition on board.

The Diving Experience

All divers have a designated tank number, and from there on it’s full service diving provided from the engineer and dive team on board. All dives are conducted from “tinny’s” and the crew move all your dive equipment to the smaller boats for you and then help you put the tanks on once on board. No boat ride is more than 2 minutes from the main vessel and often in very calm and flat conditions in lagoons.

Each “tinny” will have up to 6 guests on board and will be accompanied by one dive guide. In the thorough dive briefings by Fernando or Pato you will be given a full description of the dive site, a best route to follow and a summary of any other variables such as currents or depths. When you dive you have the choice to explore the dive site at your own pace and leisure or to follow the dive guide, you can even switch at any point during the dive if you decide to change. It is a fantastic way to dive, giving people the freedom and flexibility to enjoy diving in their own style and at their own pace but also offering an expert guide for you to use if you wish.

You can choose to surface whenever you want, with no real maximum dive times. Upon surfacing the tinny will be waiting for you and the boat captain will assist you back on board and get you back to the main vessel swiftly.

What to Expect Underwater

One of the standout reasons to dive in the Solomons is the health of the coral reefs, especially in the shallow waters. They are up there with the best I have ever seen, and on par with the legendary Raja Amat. The difference being that when you get to experience these incredible reefs, you will be the only boat there. There will be no other divers, we did not see another boat in 11 days of diving and had the paradise reefs all to ourselves.

Diving conditions I would say are as easy as you will ever get, given the health of the reef. Coral reefs need currents to be healthy but the currents here are very manageable, they are easy to work with and rarely come to a point where you would need anything like reef hooks or would not be able to hold yourself stationary in the water if you chose to.

The dive sites the Bilikiki offers are a mix of WW2 wrecks, shallow lagoons with healthy corals reefs and an abundance of fish-life, wall dives where you gently drift and then a few cavern type dives In coral caves on the edges of this island that feel similar to diving salt water cenotes.

The diving is split into 4 main areas, the Florida Islands, Russel islands, Western province and Mary Island. All of the separate areas offer reasonably similar diving but all offer one or two standout dive sites that separate them from the other areas.

In 10 days of diving I saw pretty much every Indo Pacific fish I could have had on my hit list, the abundance and variety was incredible; all of the guests where amazed at the variety they saw. For larger pelagic animals, through the week we saw tuna, reef sharks, eagle rays, manta rays, wahoo, barracudas, schooling jacks and plenty more.

My favorite dives where the early morning dives and the late afternoon dives. Early morning conditions generally leant themselves to the flattest seas with not even a ripple to be seen allowing me to shoot the surface and then reflected corals in the shallow beautiful reefs. The late afternoon dives often gave out to dappled light and sun rays above the reefs making them look stunning and dream conditions for underwater photographers.

But above all, it was the health of the reefs that all the guests continued to comment on. There was very little pollution, we saw almost no rubbish anywhere, not underwater or on the beaches. The remote nature of the islands and the sparse population has helped to protect and are that os paradise for divers, Raja Ampat is known as “the last paradise” and as good as it is, it has become overrun with liveaboards and divers, Solomon Islands might actually just be the Last Paradise.

Conclusion

With experienced guides and comfortable accommodations on board, the Bilikiki Liveaboard is a perfect choice for divers seeking adventure and discovery in one of the world’s last great underwater frontiers. The boat has everything you need for an ncfedoble trip in comfort, the diving will surpass your wildest dreams, but most of all the crew on board led by the wonderful Pato and Fernando will make it a voyage you'll never forget.