R E G I O N A L • T R A V E L • G U I D E
SOLOMON ISLANDS |
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| There are 992 islands that make up the little known Solomon Islands group. These tiny, pretty specks of green are an extension of chain that makes up Papua New Guinea. |
| HISTORY |
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It's hard to see the historical influences in these islands as they weren't colonised in the way we have come to expect. The first known inhabitants where thought to have arrived as far back as 30000 BC but little is known or understood of that period. Settlers appeared around 4000BC. These were farming people. By 1600 AD it was known that Melanesian and Polynesian tribes had arrived and taken up residence on various islands across the area.
The first colonial explorers were the Spanish in the 15th century but they stayed just six months before constant conflicts sent them packing. Even a second attempt by them fell flat. It was another 150 years before the British accidentally stumbled on the islands and opened the way for European and American traders. This period was not a successful one, with the 'infiltrators' unreasonable business practices and imported diseases creating nothing but trouble. The islanders reacted badly to this way of life and white foreigners grew to fear for their lives. And with good cause as they were often shot on sight. Even missionaries were unusually wary. In the 1890's the islands became a British protectorate and things settled until the Japanese occupation of 1942.
This lead to some of the fiercest battles of the second world war, some of which are credited with the breaking of the Japanese. Guadalcanal became the location of a major Allied defeat, the evidence of the naval battles lies on Iron Bottom Sound. It took over six months for the Americans and Allied Forces to regain the upper hand. The most noteworthy political event since then was the coup of June 2000 triggered by racial unrest. By 2003, international peacekeeping operations were scaled down and the islands are now regarded as completely safe.
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| Dive Destinations: |
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Like any island group, where there's water there will be diving. It's easy to access several at once in the Solomons by travelling on a liveaboard.
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| Russel Islands |
| Lying around 100 km west of Honiara on Guadalcanal, the Russels Group consist of several islands tightly packed together, and appearing almost as one. Pavuvu and Mbanika are dived by the deep Sunlight Channel and both are surrounded by many smaller islands.
These islands have a great variety of diving locations with sheer coral walls, pinnacles and even some wrecks. A series of shallow caves on the west side of Pavuvu are easy dives. One of these, Leru Cut, is one of the Solomons most photographed sites.
At the southern end of the Sunlight Channel, White Beach is a fabulous muck dive and just offshore, near Linggatu, lies a coastal trader, which sits upright at the edge of the channel. The Ann was deliberately sunk to create a dive and as visibility here is usually good, you can see from one end of the wreck to the other.
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| Mary Island |
| Mborokua Island, better known as Mary, is a jungle-clad, extinct volcano lying due west of the Russels. It is surrounded by deep walls with prolific marine life. The big attraction here is a tongue shaped promontory jutting out from the coast and sloping down to walls on either side. Huge balls of jacks sit right up on the top of the tongue, and there are several resident gangs of chevron and needle nose barracuda. Grey reef sharks patrol in amongst the schools and, late in the day, feed on them.
At 30m plus on the tip of the tongue are whip corals, fans and different coloured elephants ear sponges. This is a spectacular location with masses of life attracted by the currents.
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| Marovo Lagoon |
| The Solomons' western province is centred around the largest island ringed lagoon in the world. Marovo has been nominated for World Heritage Listing. There are thousands of islands - some just tiny coral islets on the fringing reef while some are huge volcanic islands.
Inside the lagoon, the islands are surrounded by spectacular coral formations and white sand beaches. The dives here are tidal as water flows in and out of the lagoon, so visibility can be a little low at times. However, the marine life is very impressive and can include small critters that you would expect of other countries like pygmy seahorses and leaffish.
There are some good wrecks near Wickham Island, including two Japanese cargo ships that have never been identified but are almost intact. There are guns on the bows and both are smothered in corals.
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| Florida Islands |
| The Nggela - or Florida - Islands are about 35 km north of Honiara across the famous Iron Bottom Sound. Tulagi was the original capital but was replaced by Honiara after the war as the town was so damaged. Because of this there are quite a few wreck dives plus several open water mounds that attract both currents and open water pelagics.
Blacktip sharks are common as are turtles and octopus especially at the sites around Tanavula Point which gets some swift current at times.
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| FACT FILE: |
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Entry: No visa is required but you must have a return ticket.
Flights: to Brisbane in Australia and connect to Solomon Airlines flight to Honiara
GENERAL:
Language: English
Money: GBP £1 buys SBD$14, USD $1 buys SBD$6.40
Electricity: 240 volts
Health: No inoculations but care should be taken to avoid sunburn and heat stroke. Mosquitos are prolific on land.
DIVING:
Seasons: December to April - wetter, May to November - dryer.
Visibility: 5 metres to 30.
Water temperatures: 27 - 29º C.
Deco chambers: Honiara or Townsville in Australia.
Disclaimer: All facts were checked at time of publication but things change! Check with relevant authorities for updates.
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