Solomon Islands' Newest and Finest Live-Aboard
M/V Solomon Sea sails the "Islands Lost in Time," visiting Iron Bottom Sound, Morovo
Lagoon, the Russell Islands, and the Floridas. The discriminating diver will enjoy the
ultimate in WWII wreck diving, plus some of the most pristine coral reefs and prolific sea
life to be found anywhere in the world today. While the Solomons are a far-off and
unexplored region, the M/V Solomon Sea offers an unprecedented level of service,
accommodating only 10 divers per cruise. This 80' long vessel has 5 double cabins, with full
private facilities. Both double and twin share berthing are available. Cruise includes
unlimited diving, all meals, wine with dinner, snorkeling, village tours and expeditions to
Historic WWII sites. Your hosts, Fredrick & Corinna Douglas, are well suited to their task. Fredrick comes from the famed Douglas clan that makes Matagi Island in Fiji famous, and Corinna is a native Solomon Islander whose family has connections throughout the islands.
Sample Itinerary
From $3625 per diver including air from LAX
Sunday
Fly LAX to Auckland, New Zealand, departing Los Angeles 10:15 pm. Cross
International Dateline. Arrive Auckland Tuesday morning.
Tuesday
Day room in Auckland to rest, with the option to visit downtown and
Auckland Harbor (great city...check out the pubs!). Evening connection to
Honiara, Solomon Islands and immediate transfer to M/V Solomon Sea. Once
aboard, enjoy a seven night cruise including all meals and unlimited diving
on the world's best WWII wrecks and most prolific coral reefs. Also
included are shore excursions to experience the history, culture, and
people of these remarkable "Islands Lost in Time."
Tuesday + one week
Fly Honiara back to Auckland with direct connection to Los Angeles. Arrive
LAX 12:55 pm (same day, Tuesday afternoon).
Sample package costs
(rates and airfares are subject to change until ticketed)
R/T airfare LAX-Auckland (coach, low season) $995 per person
Auckland day room (double occupancy) $30 per person
R/T airfare Auckland-Honiara $499 per person
Seven nights M/V Solomon Sea $2086 per person ($298/night)*
Government lodging tax $14 ($2 per person per day)
Island Dreams' basic itinerary offers the maximum amount of diving with the least
expense of time and money. Should the traveler have additional days available, Island
Dreams can assist with excellent land-based Solomon Island resorts, as well as superb
lodging, diving, and live-aboards in Fiji, Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond...
Rick Belmare, owner and operator of the M/V Bilikiki and the M/V Spirit of the Solomons, is really the man who put the Solomon Islands on the map for contemporary scuba divers. Starting with a simple shore-based dive operation in Honiara, Rick went on to develop the live-aboard dive concept way before it became a savvy-divers trend. Rick and Bilikiki continue to offer divers exactly what they are looking for...the best of the reefs, wrecks, and cultural experience that the Solomon Islands have to offer
Seven night live-aboard dive cruise, including all meals - $CALL
Adventure Sports Gizo
Stunning Reefs and WWII Wrecks - Toa Maru, Grand Central Station,
Naru Gap. Exotic traditional island villages and J. F. Kennedy Island.
A la carte Divers Package - $120 per day
Double occupancy lodging at the Gizo Hotel, hotel tax, breakfast daily, and daily two-tank
boat diving. Transfers from airport complimentary with minimum four night stay.
Dive Value Package - 7 nights lodging / 6 days diving - $795 per person
Airport greeting and r/t transfers, 7 nights dbl. occ. lodging, hotel tax, daily breakfast, 6
days two-tank boat diving, two complimentary third day dives, one boat night dive, island-style barbecue on John F. Kennedy Island, 1/2 day guided Gizo Island jungle village tour,
visit to beautiful Saeraghi beach, local bamboo band concert, and Gilbertese Islanders'
dancing for a wonderful opportunity to experience Solomon Islands' culture.
Dive Day 1
A.M. "Inside Naru" - Cow tail rays, coach whip rays, and spotted eagle rays abound.
P.M. "Nusa Tupe" - Ancient giant clam, beautiful gorgonians, lots of fish.
Dive Day 2
A.M. "Toa Maru" - Intact WWII transport, 7,000 tons and 450 feet long. One of the
world's top five wreck dives. Starts at just 20 feet!
P.M. "Grand Central Station" - The ultimate fish dive. Frequently compared to Palau, "the Blue
Corner of the South Pacific."
Dive Day 3
A.M. "Manta Ray Road" - Soar with the mantas!
P.M. Dive along a rich coral wall where the late J.F. Kennedy was shipwrecked.
Dive Day 4
A.M. "Secret Spot" - Dive with oceanic silver-tips and a profusion of fishes. Finish your tank on a WWII Hellcat fighter plane.
P.M. "Joe's Wall" - From 3' to 10,000'... Drop off the edge and fly.
Dive Day 5
A.M. "Corsair Fighter" - WWII wreck covered in soft corals, surrounded by a beautiful reef. Photograph seven varieties of anenome clown fish in a 15 yard radius.
P.M. "Peak Hour" - A coral pinnacle swarming with tropical marine life.
Dive Day 6
A.M. "Toa Maru" - Chose one of five carefully conducted dive explorations, with various depths and levels of penetration. Followed by a complimentary dive on a Japanese
Zero fighter plane.
P.M. "Naru Gap" - The ultimate drift dive. Cruise with countless colorful fishes, turtles, rays, and other pelagics.
Diving is provided by your able and amiable hosts, Danny and Kerrie Kennedy, owners of
Adventure Sports Gizo. Dive programs may be changed to accommodate diver preference
and, of course, prevailing weather conditions. Dive options available:
- Third boat dive per day - $25.
- Additional boat night dives - $30.
- Full meal plan - $35/day.
- Single lodging supplement - $30 per person per night of stay.
Gizo is the capital and Provincial Center of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands,
bordering Papua New Guinea. A colorful, rustic island paradise, Gizo overlooks majestic
Kolombangra, the tallest volcano in the region. Approximately 50 square miles in area,
Gizo has a population of only 4,000 people, a mixture of friendly native cultures. During
WWII these same peoples assisted J.F. Kennedy in the rescue of the crew of PT-109. Gizo
is surrounded by numerous coral atolls offering private, secluded beaches, unlimited
snorkeling and fabulous diving opportunities. It's the perfect place for jungle exploring,
Robinson Crusoe-style picnics, and lounging and snorkeling from your own private beach.
Dubbed "Islands adrift in time," Adventure Sports Gizo's owner, Danny Kennedy says, "Gizo
is the fastest way to slow down."
Gizo's Diving includes the famous Toa Maru, a 7,000 ton WWII Japanese transport,
perfectly intact and complete with cargo and artifacts. Toa Maru dives begin at just 20 feet.
Diveable WWII fighter aircraft include a Japanese Zero, and American Hellcat and Corsair
fighters. Gizo's spectacular reef dive sites include Grand Central Station, often likened to
"Blue Corner" in Palau. Other dives include the famous Naru Gap for drift diving at its best,
Manta Ray Road for exciting pelagic encounters, plus many dramatic drop-offs, and
beautiful coral gardens beginning only a few feet beneath the surface.
Getting to Gizo - Flights connect from Los Angeles via Nandi (Fiji), Auckland (New
Zealand), or Cairns (Australia). Upon arrival in Honiara (Guadalacanal), the capital of the
Solomons, you will be met by the Red Bus Shuttle service and transferred to your hotel. If
you are connecting directly to Gizo you will board a Solomon Airlines Twin-Otter for your
scenic flight over the Morovo and Roviana Lagoons, taking in the beauty of the 1,000 islands
that make up the Solomons' chain. You will land at Nusa Tupe Airfield, be met by
Adventure Sports Gizo staff and transferred by boat to Gizo (5-10 minute boat ride). Your
accommodation will be at the Gizo Hotel, central to the colorful town and walking distance
from every thing.
In addition to the Gizo's fabulous wreck, reefs, and walls, a memorable highlight of
your stay will be the 1/2 day island tour hosted by, family owned and operated, Brava
(Great) Tours. Your remarkable host, Ron Parkinson has been in the Solomons for more
than 25 years. His knowledge of the islands customs, cultures, peoples and history is
unequalled. You'll experience traditional ways of island life, hear the true history of PT-109,
and perhaps acquire a few words of pidgin English, such as "How gud fella, bes fren blong
mi, happy tu mus fo lookum yu." (Translation - "Hey good buddy, best friend of mine, it's
nice to see you.") or "Mi lookum yu behine" (trans. "See you later").
A good insect repellant and the prescription drug Lariam are recommended as prevention
against Malaria while visiting the Solomon Islands and other equatorial regions. No
inoculations are required. The Solomons truly are "Islands Adrift in Time." To book your
marvelous Solomon Islands adventure please contact:
Island Dreams Travel - Your Adventure Experts
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Uepi, Western Province, Solomon Islands
Uepi Island Resort stands as a tiny outpost in the emmense natural splendor of Marovo Lagoon. The lodging is simple but comfortable, the cuisine reknowned, and the diving absolutely superb, with both boat and beach diving available. One might compare the facilites and atmosphere at Uepi Resort to that of CocoView Resort in Roatan. Laid-back, relaxed, but capable, with great diving at your door step. Call Island Dreams for complete information and package pricing.
Agnes Lodge & Solomon Sea Divers
Munda, Western Province, Solomon Islands
Dive Virgin Reefs and WWII Wrecks
Explore exotic traditional Island villages
Visit the WWII base of J.F. Kennedy's PT-109
Three Nights / Two Days Diving
$295 per person
3 nights lodging, hotel tax, breakfast & dinner daily, 2 days two-tank boat diving,
complimentary dive on the Douglas Dive Bomber, native village walk, island BBQ
lunch, and a visit to Lumbaria Island, WWII base of the late John F. Kennedy.
Four Nights / Three Days Diving
$395 per person
4 nights lodging, hotel tax, breakfast & dinner daily, 3 days two-tank boat diving, one
boat night dive, comp. dive on the Douglas Dive Bomber, native village walk, island
BBQ lunch, and visit to Lumbaria Island, WWII base of the late John F. Kennedy, trip
to Skull Island, sacred ancient shrine of the local Roviana people, a traditional
warrior dance group, and a guided walk through a local village and gardens, a
unique opportunity to experience Solomon Islands' culture.
Five Nights / Four Days Diving
$495 per person
5 nights lodging, hotel tax, breakfast & dinner daily, 4 days two-tank boat diving
including wreck dive on a WWII Japanese freighter, one boat night dive, comp. dive
on the Douglas Dive Bomber, native village walk, island barbecue lunch, and a visit
to Lumbaria Island, WWII base of the late John F. Kennedy, a visit to Skull Island, the
sacred ancient shrine of the local Roviana people, a traditional warrior dance group,
and a guided walk through a local village and gardens. Plus exploration of Japanese
gun emplacements and a fully intact U.S. Sherman tank.
All packages include accommodation in Agnes Lodge's Zazala Wing suites. Western-style lodging with private facilities. Breakfast and dinner are included. Diving is
provided by your able and amiable hosts, David and Mariana Cooke, owners of
Solomon Sea Divers. A third daily dive may be added for an additional $20 per day.
Lunches (when not included) are available for a nominal additional fee.
For more information, call, fax, write, or email us at:
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Island Dreams Tours & Travel
1309 Antoine Drive
Houston, Texas 77055-6942
Toll Free: (800) 346-6116
Phone: (713) 973-9300
Facsimile: (713) 973-8585
E-mail: info@divetrip.com
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