Dive Review of Bilikiki Cruises in
Solomon Islands

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Bilikiki Cruises: "Bucket list trip well worth the effort to get there", Jun, 2019, by Ms Lynda Durfee, VA, US ( Top Contributor 49 reports with 24 Helpful votes). Report 11197 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I planned this trip in July 2018 after hearing good reviews from divers on other trips. I flew from DC via LAX to Fiji, with a two-week stopover one week on Nai'a and one week at Marriott resort. Flew from Nadi to Honiara on Saturday (start of trip); many other Bilikiki guests were on same flight. I can ditto the Augusts report. Lots of large hard corals. I commented to crew that if Fiji was the soft coral capital of the world then the Solomons were the hard coral capital. Guides/hosts Tina and Ollie provided detailed briefings with maps drawn on a white board before every dive. Most dives were from RIBs; before each dive you put your tank tag number on a hook indicating you wanted to dive with group 1, 2, or 3. Crew was fantastic, loading you BCD into the RIB and helping you off with it. Fills were consistent; I used NITROX and did most of the other divers. This ten-day trip got you to far west (lagoon); 7-day trip doesn't get there. I checked off a lot of fish that I hadn't seen on other dive trips though a lot were familiar from Fiji. Food was plentiful with local fruits, vegetables and fish from local vendors. My only complaint was that the hot breakfast was cooked well before 6 am so it was lukewarm (even in warmers) by the time it was served about 6:15. Vegetarian options at every meal. Coffee and tea free (fruit juice at breakfast), but beer, wine, liquor and soft drinks were available from an honor bar ($2 US for a can of soda; I really cut down on my soda consumption on this trip). Cabins were comfortable; I had one to myself since the boat wasn't full. AC was comfortable; noise from engines noticeable especially when the boat moved at night. Village visits are a must. I would have bought a large carving except for baggage limit travelling on to Brisbane. If you like a carving, these are cheaper than in Honiara stores and you know who carved it; these artists spend months on one carving that might sell for $100. I bought a woven tray from one of the women for $20. Very enjoyable trip; I'd go back bought I haven't been to Indonesia or the Galapagos yet. I wasn't aware I needed a visa to enter Australia, but the helpful agent at the Honiara airport applied for me online and I paid with Fiji dollars equivalent to $25 US (I had to scramble to change money at the airport).
Websites	Bilikiki Cruises
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	All over Caribbean, all Hawaiian islands, Fiji, Palau, Maldives, Red Sea, Solomon Islands
Closest Airport	Honiara	Getting There	via Fiji or Brisbane
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	81-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	no deco; dive with buddy or group
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	I'm not a photographer. Charging room on upper deck. Most photographers used one of the tables in the salon to work on their cameras.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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By report author: Ms Lynda Durfee in VA, US at Oct 29, 2019 21:11 EST

Sorry about the typos.

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Other dive reports on Bilikiki Cruises

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Diving Guide to Solomon Islands
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Dive Review of Bilikiki Cruises in Solomon Islands

Bilikiki Cruises: "Bucket list trip well worth the effort to get there", Jun, 2019,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Bilikiki Cruises in
Solomon Islands