Bilikiki

Boat

Bilikiki is a 38 meters long, 7.5 meters wide steel vessel - also the first liveaboard provide diving service in the Solomon Islands, it starts sailing/diving since 1989. During all these years, it gathered a lot of experience in diving, sailing and cruising, and it is well maintained, the boat carries all necessary navigation and communication equipment to ensure the safty.

Bilikiki is large and seaworthy, offers unparalleled comfort at sea. The large size of the boat itself and a hull that was built specifically built for the South Pacific seas.

On the main deck, there is a spacious covered dining area in the front, where delicious meals will be served three times daily in buffet style, and between the meals snacks are always ample.

There is also a comfortable indoor salon where guests can enjoy the wide screen LCD TV with USD/HDMI/VGA inputs, the DVDs, and an extensive library of reference material and recreational reading. The salon also equipped few large tables with sitting area, a bar that can provide various drinks during the cruise.

On the upper deck, there is a large sun deck with deck charis where guests can enjoy the sunbath during the day, watch the stars during the night. The wheel house, captain's cabin, a photo room, and the manager's cabin.

The large dive deck is located on the back of the main deck, individual storage for gear, racks and hangers for suits, freshwater showers, separate rinse tanks for photo gear, and easy access to the skiffs will be found there.

Bilikiki also lots of electrical outlets for batter charging (110V), and large camera tables for checking the equipments for photographers. Guests also can find wash tubs and as well as deck showers for use.

Cabin

Bilikiki has 10 comfortable deluxe cabins, it can accommodates up to 20 guests per trip：

All cabins are located on the lower deck and equipped with en-suite bathrooms (with shampoo and soap), air conditioning, storege area, and other cabin facilities.

Onboard, there are 5 hair-dryers, if you require one for the trip please ask the managers onboard and they will provide one for you. Power throughout the ship is 240 V 50 cycle, using Australia style 3-prong outlets. There are also plenty of American style 110 V 60 cycle outlets for charging cameras, strobes, dive lights, etc.

2 Twin Cabins：
Located on the lower deck each cabin comes with two single beds, portholes.

8 Double Cabins：
Located on the lower deck each cabin comes with 1 double bed and 1 single bed in bunk style, portholes.

Diving

• 4 to 5 dives per day, depending on sea conditions.

• Only 2 dives will be provided on the day before departure.

• No dive provided on the day of arrival and departure.

• All diving will provide experienced guide to lead the dive.

Other Informations

• Nitrox：Available with additional cost
• 15L Tanks：Not available at the moment
• REBREATHER Dive：Not available at the moment
• Dive Equipment Rental：Not available at the moment
• Dive insurance：Divers must have valid dive insurance
• Water Toys onboard：Stand up paddle boards, kayaks
• Wi-Fi Internet ：Not available at the moment
• Laundry Service：Available with additional cost
• Massage Service：Not available at the moment
• Payment on board：Cash (USD/Euro/Solomon dollars) or credit card
• Crew Number：13, include 2 dive guides

The Solomon Islands - 8D/7N or 11D/10N

The Solomon Islands has an amazing array of varied, rarely visited dive sites. Bilikiki Cruises does not have a fixed itinerary for dive sites but goes to the best spots possible for the conditions and the interests of our guests.

During a 7 night trip we visit the Russell Islands, Mary Island and the Florida Islands to dive the stunning reefs of these areas. We also visit a village to see custom singing and dancing and to see traditional life.

On a 10 night or longer trip we also visit the Marovo Lagoon area of the Western Province. On the longer trips the Bilikiki will stop at other villages to see the famous wood carvings of the area. Here you will have to chance to see and buy hand made carvings and other amazing traditionally made items.

Village visits are arranged during the surface intervals so as not to effect the number of dives offered per day. We offer 4 day dives and a night dive and although there is no fixed itinerary here is an example of some of the dive sites which we normally do if the conditions allow.

Boarding time on the first day is normally around 4PM. Disembarkation is around 8AM on the last day. We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the vessel, or if your flight is earlier than the boarding time to a nearby hotel where you can relax.

Russell Islands

Leru Cut : A channel back into Leru Island forms a breathtakingly beautiful reef formation which when dived at the right time of day has amazing beams of light and fantastic photo opportunities. Surface at the end and see the vine covered cliffs and jungle before descending and exiting onto a sheer wall of fans and soft coral.

White Beach : The site of an American WWII base where trucks, bombs and ammunition was dumped into the sea. Both a fascinating historical dive and a fantastic macro site in an unusual mangrove location.

Mirror Pond : A stunning pond reflecting the jungle overhead. Outside on the reef is a sheer wall where snappers and travelly hunt and pygmy seahorses hide in gorgeous gorgonian fans. The shallows host a stunning coral garden where crocodile fish, cuttlefish and anemone fish live.

Karumolun Point : The chief of Karumolun Island has banned all fishing and collecting on this dive site for five years creating a local marine protected area. This point has great soft coral, a big school of jacks, barracudas and lots of sharks, often eagle rays are seen here too. The macro side of this dive site is fantastic as well with disco clams (electric file shells), nudis, cuttlefish, crocodile fish and ghost pipefish among the things seen.

Mary Island

Divers often refer to Mary Island as the “best” dive of a trip. It is an uninhabited island with a stunning amount of hard corals and fish life. The schools of fish are amazing here especially when joined by sharks, turtles and bumphead parrot fish. We usually stay here for the whole day.

Florida Islands

Twin Tunnels : This large sea mount, in the middle of the channel between Guadalcanal and the Florida Islands, has two tunnels which drop vertically straight down from 12m and exit in a cave at 35m. Swimming out of the cave to the sheer wall there are schools of fusiliers with grey reef sharks cruising by. It is also home to some amazing coral, cuttlefish, octopus and mantis shrimp plus schools of snapper, tropical fish and an amazing array of anemone fish.

Devils' Highway : The best place in the Solomons to dive with manta rays. A channel between two islands funnels water to form a strong currents and an adrenaline filled dive. Drift along the reef top, duck under the reef wall and watch as up to a dozen mantas swim close by in formation to feed. They are often joined by sweetlips, jacks and bumphead parrotfish.

Maravagi Bay : A macro divers delight! A calm protected bay offering all sorts of great macro subjects such as nudis, demon stinger, scorpion fish, cockatoo wasp fish, various pipefish, cuttlefish, juvenile batfish, various anemone fish, shrimps and crabs. Plus a few of giant clams and a small wreck packed with batfish and bream.

Japanese Mavis Seaplane : A Japanese seaplane sunk during WW2 which sits upright on the bottom at 30m, it is an impressively large, mostly intact plane. This site is also excellent for macro subjects with reef top pipefish, twin spot gobies and spine check anemone fish.

Marovo Lagoon Area

Kicha : Not only is this dive site a truly stunning example of hard corals and sea fans, it is teeming with fish life. Friendly batfish follow divers around, schools of jacks and barracuda circle around the point while giant bumphead parrotfish chomp on coral. All this amazing colour and beauty passes by to a sound track provided by the underwater volcano Kavachi which is only 15 miles away.

Mbulo Caves : A series of interconnecting caves and swim throughs with beautiful sun beams and a magical atmosphere. There is also staggering hard coral and tropical fish on the reef out side.

Wickham Island : There are a lot of amazing dive sites around this island. It has something for everyone with soft coral points, huge sea fans, sharks and rays. Plus great places to look for the small stuff such as pygmy seahorses, cuttlefish, crocodile fish, snake eels and many different species of anemone fish.

Japanese Maru #2 : A Japanese cargo vessel sunk by American bombers in WW2 this is a a stunning photogenic wreck covered in black corals. A deck gun lies hanging over the side of the ship and trevally and groupers hunt the decks.