Riding the wave of success from their 2nd Annual Dive Festival, the folks from the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau have landed at DEMA Show 2017. If you haven’t heard about the fantastic diving there, it’s time to change that!
Located between Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands offer some of the most spectacular populations of marine life with the second highest levels of biodiversity worldwide. It may seem like the ends of the earth, but with four weekly flights from Brisbane, as well as weekly flights from Nadi, Fiji and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, it’s surprisingly accessible from the United States and especially Australia.
Not only is it worth the journey, but the staff at Solomon Airlines are committed to bringing the hospitality with them, so you’ll feel like you’re on the islands long before you ever set foot on the sand and even after you begin your trip home. They’re also your go-to resource for fast inter-island transfers.
Whether you’re interested in walls, reefs, or wrecks, whether you prefer day trips from your hotel or that concentrated liveaboard life, there’s diving here for you. They’ve got pristine reefs, big pelagics, stunning macro, and an impressive collection of dividable World War II wrecks. Their two liveaboards, SIDE’s Taka and the Bilikiki, make trips to the harder-to-reach islands, while the local guides at SIDE Dive Munda in the Western Province, and Dive Tulagi in Honiara will be happy to share their wreck diving expertise. For non-diving family members, there are historical military experiences available through Valor Tours and for those that like a bit of everything, Reef and Rainforest can help!
With so much natural and cultural beauty to offer, there are plenty of opportunities for the business-minded as well. The Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau is seeking dive operators to partner with to keep the industry there growing. To that end, planning is already underway for their 3rd Annual Dive Festival in Honiara and Tulagi, which boast some incredible plane, ship, and submarine wrecks from WWII. October 1-5, 2018 is almost a year away, so you’ve got plenty of time to plan your trip!
For additional information or help organizing your travel check out the SIVB website, or if you’re attending DEMA Show stop by booth #2158 to ask about their dive package specials.