Fatboys Resort on Mbabanga Island in the Solomon Islands has announced the opening of a new dive center on the property.
The resort’s location in Gizo in the destination’s Western Province is in an area renowned for some of the most diverse and exciting diving to be found anywhere in the world.
From World War II wrecks to numerous offshore reefs, spectacular coral formations, plummeting walls, manta rays and abundant marine life, diving enthusiasts are beyond spoilt for choice and divers can choose from a plethora of amazing locations.
“Grand Central Station” boasts the highest fish count in the world with more than 275 species recorded in its teeming waters, “Joe’s Wall” offers a spectacular wall dive starting in the sandy shallows of a small bay and continuing as a steep wall with depths over 60 meters/197ft.
Plum Pudding Island, now known as Kennedy Island after former US President John F. Kennedy was shipwrecked there during World War II, offers a drift dive over shallow coral reefs, ideal for novice divers and Open Water Diver training for those looking to achieve full dive certification.
World War II wreck enthusiasts too are more than catered for with a 440-foot/134-meter Japanese freighter, the Toa Maru, a US Corsair fighter aircraft and almost fully intact US Hellcat fighter aircraft lying in very shallow waters a short boat ride away.
Many of these dive sites can be combined on a same-day morning and afternoon basis.
Fatboys can cater to all types of divers – from beginners and experts and groups of all sizes and non-divers too with a variety of snorkeling tours easily arranged.
A fully certified SSI Training Facility, the new Fatboys Dive Center is operated by a crew of six including an SSI Divemaster Instructor, two certified dive masters with a third in training and two local boat captains. Dive center facilities include a wet room with wash tubs and drying racks, compressor and backup unit, 20 brand-new full sets of scuba gear and three covered dive boats, fully equipped with requisite first-aid and oxygen facilities and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB).
Tourism Solomons Acting CEO Dagnal Dereveke congratulated the resort on the new center:
“The dive sector remains one of our biggest sources of international visitation and places us in a position where we can compete with any dive location on the planet.
“Having improved access to quality dive infrastructure such as Fatboys and the many other first-class operators we have here is key to raising profile of the Solomon Islands as a serious dive destination. Providing increased facilities results in increased visitor arrivals which in turn creates more opportunities for local employment and business partnerships, which is a positive outcome for the entire community.”
For more information on Fatboys Resort, go to fatboysresort.com.
For more information on diving in the Solomon islands, go to visitsolomons.com.sb.
