Visit Date: April 2009

spent a week in Gizo doing 15 dives with Dive Gizo 5-12 April 2009. paid for 12 dives and they inclued 2 extra dives on a Zero fighter plane near the wharf in 10 meters (33 feet) plus a extra dive on a hellcat fighter plane in 10 metres.

Dive operation is run by Danny and Kerrie Kennedy and the business has been established for over 23 years. Most of the Solomons dive staff have been working in the business for over 10 years and know the sites and the wrecks inside and out. The business also has a Dive instructor from the USA (Luke) and together they run the diving very professionally ensuring you are well looked after and made to feel safe at all times.

You will bring your dive gear to the dive shop and set it up day one.

after that

A typical day will be

pick you up from your accodation in Gizo about 9 am (if you have camera gear - you will set up in your nice dry air conditioned room and have it with you ready to go)

2 minute drive to Dive Gizo shop

Your dive gear (bcd, regs,fins, mask,weights) will be locked securly in the dive shop overnight and will be taken to the boat and fitted to a tank.

you walk 50 metres to the jetty and get on the boat

15-20 min boat ride to the site

quick dive breif

gear up and roll into the water

40-60 minute dive lead by a dive guide.

boat will follow you and be there when you surface to pick you up

take off your dive gear in the water and it will be hauled up for you.

exit the water via a fishbone dive lader (very convenient)

5-10 minute boat ride to a nearby island

1 to 2 hour lunch of one of the following

Tuna salad, lettuce, cucumber, pineapple, pink grapefruit, bananas, scotch finger buscuits, and water.

or

baked whole fish on hot rock instead of Tuna Salad

or

bbq kingfish steaks

or

whole fried fish.

vegetarians are catered for - you just have to arrange in advance.

plenty of time for snorkelling

then back in the boat and a 10-15 minute boat ride to dive site

do a second dive

then back to Gizo by 3.30- 4.00

all your gear is taken back to the dive shop for you and is rinsed and hung up to dry and be ready for the next day

You either walk back to your accom or be dropped back .

Take your camera gear with you and rinse it in your room.

I did this for 6 days and it all ran very smoothly.

Now to the all important marine life.

There is no denying the the Tsunami in 2007 did do some damage to some dive sites - however there is still a lot to see and the damage is only present on parts of some sites.

The are many magnificent walls covered in fans of every colour and other soft corals to satisfy any photographer.

There is plenty of big stuff, Mantas, Eagle Rays, Mobula Rays, Grey whaler sharks however you will have to go to at least 35Mtrs (110 ft) to see them.

Depite the Tsunami, the marine life is still there.

If you ask them, the dive guides will point out lots of Nudis and Phyllidia Varacosa (fried egg nudibanch) is common along with Notodoris and the very pretty Chromodoris Kunei. There is also a tiny white and blue nudi but i dont know the name of it - part of the chromdoris tribe.

Some of the dive sites are reported to have the 2nd highest fish biodiversity in the world

the Gizo area is reported to have 13 species of anemonaefish including the very rare Whitebonnet . i did not see one but saw plenty of clarks, spine cheek, pink and tomato

but what about the rare critter stuff?

if may be there but i did not see it and the dive guides did not point it out to me.

Did not see any of the following

ghost pipefish

Rhinopeas

mantis shrimp

pygmy seahorse

leafy scorpion fish

mandarin fish

blue ribbon eels

frogfish

waspfish

Wrecks

The solomons is renowned for WW2 wrecks and Gizo has one of the best. the Toa Maru is a 446 ft long passenger/freighter that was commandeered by the Japanese at the start of the war. it sits in 7 m (23 ft) of water at the bow and the stern is at 37 meters *(115 ft). It is a photographers paradise as there is no current and the vis is generally great. Ther are lots of artifacts on the wreck including tanks, jeeps, trucks, motorcycles, machine guns and ammo, gas masks, jarsof morphine ampules, etc etc. not to be missed - minimum 2 dives maximum - as many as 6 - it is that big.

good sites

Hot Spot

Pinacle

yellow corner

Gap in

Gap out

Grand Central

Secret spot

last but not least - The Toa Maru wreck - fanstastic.

Overall - a fantastic dive location, below and above the water. It does not appear to have the exotic critter stuff like PNG of Lembeh strait so it can't compete there however for everything else it is defintely worth making the effort and a good photographer will take many great pics. I will go back again

Sam Roberts