Day 1 - Travel
Long day of travel today with an early start. 9am flight so I aimed to get to the airport 630. Mum was going to take me to the airport but was feeling unwell so dad took up the task. He wanted to be on time, so arrived at my place 2min after my alarm went off.
I wasn't yet ready.
Hardly any traffic, surprisingly given it was Good Friday... Check in opened just as I arrived and there wasn't a queue yet. A few others already here so we grabbed breakfast and 'supplies' (duty free scotch) and hung about for a while.
Then the flight was delayed (almost 1hr total) so we hung out for a while more. Flight was with Solomon Airlines and it went well, despite the initial hick-up. Food was actually really good, beef curry and rice, with kitkat for desert. We landed and were slapped in the face with 35° heat and a stroll across hot tarmac. The customs building wasn't much better.
When we landed we got rushed through Immigration as we were already ~20min past boarding time for our next domestic flight. Small bus to take us from the International shed around to the domestic shed (and shed is generous) but really friendly and helpful staff made it easy. We got through pretty quick to a small plane that needed much better aircon.
I wasn't yet ready.
Hardly any traffic, surprisingly given it was Good Friday... Check in opened just as I arrived and there wasn't a queue yet. A few others already here so we grabbed breakfast and 'supplies' (duty free scotch) and hung about for a while.
Then the flight was delayed (almost 1hr total) so we hung out for a while more. Flight was with Solomon Airlines and it went well, despite the initial hick-up. Food was actually really good, beef curry and rice, with kitkat for desert. We landed and were slapped in the face with 35° heat and a stroll across hot tarmac. The customs building wasn't much better.
When we landed we got rushed through Immigration as we were already ~20min past boarding time for our next domestic flight. Small bus to take us from the International shed around to the domestic shed (and shed is generous) but really friendly and helpful staff made it easy. We got through pretty quick to a small plane that needed much better aircon.
1hr later touched down again and then we got to hang out on the plane, in the heat. A few hopped off a few more hopped on. Then 12min flight time, yes, twelve minutes, and we arrived in Munda! Gotta love the puddle jump travel getting to dive sites. The accom was about 300m away from the airstrip so our gear was loaded in a ute and we strolled down.
Still hot from the plane and tin shed arrival gate we got a brief intro to the dive team and given our room keys. SNR and I together in a room we ditched our stuff, got changed and jumped into the water to cool down. The 28° water... Still with a cold SolBrew (local beer) it was quite refreshing.
The others trickled in over the next hour some down for a swim, others just for the beer/wine. There was also an American traveller who's bag came off at the Gizo mini-stop... so they were making calls and apparently sending a boat (2hr boat one way) to bring it out. Not much choice except the resort menu so I had a pork curry for 150 Solomon dollars, about 30 AUD. Beers are about $5 AUD each. Good serving size and all the service staff are really nice.
Still hot from the plane and tin shed arrival gate we got a brief intro to the dive team and given our room keys. SNR and I together in a room we ditched our stuff, got changed and jumped into the water to cool down. The 28° water... Still with a cold SolBrew (local beer) it was quite refreshing.
The others trickled in over the next hour some down for a swim, others just for the beer/wine. There was also an American traveller who's bag came off at the Gizo mini-stop... so they were making calls and apparently sending a boat (2hr boat one way) to bring it out. Not much choice except the resort menu so I had a pork curry for 150 Solomon dollars, about 30 AUD. Beers are about $5 AUD each. Good serving size and all the service staff are really nice.
Off back to the reasonable but basic room for one of the worst showers I have ever had the displeasure of standing under. Beds were firm but seemed fairly comfortable and the small wall mounted aircon seemed loud but up to the task of keeping us cool. Set the alarm for an early ish rise and fell asleep pretty quickly.
Day 2 - Diving!
Up fairly early in the morning for a good breakfast before getting down to the dive shop at 8am for our briefing. Pretty comprehensive dive brief, apparently we're the first big group here since covid close downs.
Split us into 3 boats, I jumped in with Gary x2, Marg and Tracey. Short boat ride out to Eagles Nest for our first dive, along a wall. It was a checkout dive so the guide was over cautious checking air etc. After 15min he asked for my air, I replied 180 bar, basically full (if you get a hot fill...) Which prompted surprise in his eyes. The others were much the same (or better.)
The rest of the dive wasn't too bad but definitely not the most exciting I've ever had. A few Nudibranch, possibly a new one. 1 black tip reef shark that seemed to keep hanging around us and a sole Eagle Ray which disappeared into the blue.
Split us into 3 boats, I jumped in with Gary x2, Marg and Tracey. Short boat ride out to Eagles Nest for our first dive, along a wall. It was a checkout dive so the guide was over cautious checking air etc. After 15min he asked for my air, I replied 180 bar, basically full (if you get a hot fill...) Which prompted surprise in his eyes. The others were much the same (or better.)
The rest of the dive wasn't too bad but definitely not the most exciting I've ever had. A few Nudibranch, possibly a new one. 1 black tip reef shark that seemed to keep hanging around us and a sole Eagle Ray which disappeared into the blue.
Surface interval on an island with some fresh ish fruit. Watermelon, banana, cucumber and pomelos. Before long we were back on the boat to Patu GoGo for another wall dive and much of the same. Few nudis some fish etc but not overly exciting. They are the easier / closer dives for the check out dives so hopefully things can only improve.
Back on the main island some of us took a stroll into the 'shops' which were 3x convenience stores with much of the same load out. Some knock off Sour Cream Pringle's were pretty good though. Good sunset and a nice dinner before turning in for bed.
Day 3 - Moar diving!
A bit of an easier start this morning as we didn't have an overly involved pre-dive brief. It still took a little while though, and when people started to get into a discussion about preferences for dive weight setup I interjected asking when we were heading out. I was happy with the 'Right now' answer from Belinda.
First dive we dropped on Barry's Breakfast which is a good plateau sitting around 18m deep. We swam around a bit looking at a few cool schools of Barracuda before following an underwater Ridge towards an island. At one point I was off the edge into the blue a little and had an Eagle Ray swim right by me.
First dive we dropped on Barry's Breakfast which is a good plateau sitting around 18m deep. We swam around a bit looking at a few cool schools of Barracuda before following an underwater Ridge towards an island. At one point I was off the edge into the blue a little and had an Eagle Ray swim right by me.
Surface interval on the island with some fruit before heading out to Blue Pajamas for the 2nd dive. We did have another site picked out but the weather was *horrible* (5kt winds and 200mm, yes millimetres, chop) so we went to a protected site. Not seeing many Nudibranch this trip but a few Morays kept this dive interesting. I do like a good wall to gently follow along with though, so still enjoying the dives.
Because of the /strong winds/ and an apparent wind warning the third dive for the day was panned. Looked like a mirror surface from after lunch for the rest of the day... Still we filled in the time with a few beers and many fun rounds of 500 (card game.) A fancy yacht pulled up and a dozen or so people came in for dinner. Provided a bit of a comedy show watching them get to/from their yacht on Stand Up Paddle Boards. There was also a band that played for Sunday night.
Day 4 - The depths continue
First dive was out on Haipe Reef on the ocean side of the island. They had some bad storms 3 weeks ago here and you could tell which direction they were hit from. Lots of broken coral etc. A few different Nudi (for this trip) but nothing new new for me.
While scouting for Pygmy Seahorse (of which we found none) I located a cool pipe fish. There was also apparently a turtle that I missed out in the blue. Near the end there were a few more Nudi and a nice Painted Cray.
Different island for the surface interval today to the island that was the operations base for J.F.Kennedy during WW2. They had a small museum with some rusty trinkets and a few little markers for old bunker and watch sites. Our dive boat anchors used to hold the boats for our surface stays are fairly interesting, just the largest chunk of metal they can find. Heads of sledge hammers, big cogs from trucks or any other random bit of steel.
Different island for the surface interval today to the island that was the operations base for J.F.Kennedy during WW2. They had a small museum with some rusty trinkets and a few little markers for old bunker and watch sites. Our dive boat anchors used to hold the boats for our surface stays are fairly interesting, just the largest chunk of metal they can find. Heads of sledge hammers, big cogs from trucks or any other random bit of steel.
The next dive was a bit deeper, 28m down for a very short dive on the Airacobra plane wreck. Not too much to see so time limited wasn't an issue. Then off to the Douglas Bomber for a residual air dive. Again small plane but there were some cleaner shrimp, more nudi and another pipe fish.
Back for lunch and yet another dive brief as conditions have changed so significantly since the morning... We eventually headed back to the boat to get out to Munda Bar. A man made channel for the bigger ships during the war. The Arvo dive was off to another pretty but nothing spectacular wall dive. A good cow tail Ray, a few nudi, an eagle ray and a few white tip reef sharks... maybe we're just spoiled...
Back for lunch and yet another dive brief as conditions have changed so significantly since the morning... We eventually headed back to the boat to get out to Munda Bar. A man made channel for the bigger ships during the war. The Arvo dive was off to another pretty but nothing spectacular wall dive. A good cow tail Ray, a few nudi, an eagle ray and a few white tip reef sharks... maybe we're just spoiled...
Some bad luck happened for Boat 3. An extra solo diver who has been along with us on the dives followed a shocking depth profile (only been diving 6 months) got low on air, tangled herself in a failed SMB launch and bobbed up to the surface.
New to diving she started thinking she had the bends (no physically visible symptoms) Munda Dive took the (suitably) cautious route and put her on oxygen. By dinner she was fine but going to skip the morning dives as a precaution.
New to diving she started thinking she had the bends (no physically visible symptoms) Munda Dive took the (suitably) cautious route and put her on oxygen. By dinner she was fine but going to skip the morning dives as a precaution.
Day 5 - The dark depths
Another perfectly calm morning to head out for some diving. First up today for our boat is Aussie Point. A great wall with clear blue ocean to dive along. Spent a lot of time looking for pygmy seahorse with no luck but I did see a new nudi species, didn't get a clear pic but I pointed it out to Tracey and it looks like she did, I sure couldn't with my setup.
Swimming along there wasn't much off out into the blue today but we did see some bump head parrot fish and a bit more soft coral on the wall injecting some much needed colour into the trip. As we were approaching our surface stop SNR spotted a small flat worm that was really motoring along.
Swimming along there wasn't much off out into the blue today but we did see some bump head parrot fish and a bit more soft coral on the wall injecting some much needed colour into the trip. As we were approaching our surface stop SNR spotted a small flat worm that was really motoring along.
Surface interval on Ndokendoke Island. Which was only 200m away from our second dive. Cave time! Kustom Shark Cave is a small sink hole that starts a short 20m walk into the island. We geared up and were very careful as we descended to 20 ish m. From there we followed along a crack in the island. About 4m tall and 2m wide.
Still on a slight decline down to 34m before a sharp up-tick. Near vertical ascent before it opened up into a cavernous area at about 19m deep. From there you pop you out towards the ocean. I'm not sure why it is, but I always feel at home/peace in those sorts of confined environments. Luckily everyone was on their A-Game so there was also very little silt kicked up.
Back to the main island for lunch and a bit of relaxation time. Some people looked at wood carvings, Nelly tried to get some work done, others went for the short walk to the shops. Some read, some napped and some just stared at the calm blue water. No arvo dive today, as we were all saving ourselves for the Night dive.
Heading out for the night dive with some dark clouds off in the horizon. We dropped in on Susu Hite Reef and I got a bit concerned at the start as it was just bare sand. 4min later and we were on a bit of reef structure and the real dive started.
Quite a bit of night life out tonight with a few octopus, crabs and crocodile fish getting about. Highlights for me were the rather large cuttle fish and the spanner crab that I found. Dive was a bit short with a 40min bottom time but the real adventure started when we hit the surface.
Pouring rain meant that we couldn't see any lights on the mainland... or any island... The skipper took a bearing to the island behind us and set off. It wasn't long before we were bouncing the bottom of the boat over reef. We eventually made it past that and found a marker (still no lights in sight) and sat, waiting for boat 2 that was stuck, having to walk it over the reef.
Eventually the rain eased up and we saw the lights on the horizon, guiding our way home. Rain the whole time waiting but at least it wasn't cold, we almost doubled out bottom time before we got back. To be honest the worst part was probably the solo diver, who was on with us for the night dive, deciding to serenade us. She didn't have the best singing voice.
Day 6 - Rusty fun
We headed off on a 45mi boat ride NW of the resort. Along the way we passed the Tuna processing plant which necessitated blocking the noses for a good 2min. Not too much later we made if to the first site. The Wildcat plane wreck was sitting around 16m upside down. Not a whole lot to see on the plan itself but it was funny to see the wheels pointing towards the sky. From there we continued on the reef on a site called Alice in Wonderland.
A lot more Nudi on this dive, even if they were mostly the same. Heaps and heaps of Lettuce Leaf coral, which felt a bit like leather. Snr found a nice white nudi which posed for few pics. This site was alot more colourful too as there was a bit more soft coral about.
A lot more Nudi on this dive, even if they were mostly the same. Heaps and heaps of Lettuce Leaf coral, which felt a bit like leather. Snr found a nice white nudi which posed for few pics. This site was alot more colourful too as there was a bit more soft coral about.
Surface interval was on as island near the next site. A nice little jetty build on the steep steep bank. There was a pretty mangy puppy hanging about begging for scraps. His mum was over too covered in sores and constantly scratching. Most avoided giving it any pats...
Second dive was a Japanese support ship, the Kashi Maru. We dropped in right off the jetty as one of the smoke stacks was poking out of the water. Top of the wreck at 3m and bottom about 19m. A bit to see on this one but I was most excited by the engine room. JNR joined me as we penetrated a bit into the wreck to get a closer look. We didn't get too far before it was beyond what was safe to continue so we backtracked out.
Second dive was a Japanese support ship, the Kashi Maru. We dropped in right off the jetty as one of the smoke stacks was poking out of the water. Top of the wreck at 3m and bottom about 19m. A bit to see on this one but I was most excited by the engine room. JNR joined me as we penetrated a bit into the wreck to get a closer look. We didn't get too far before it was beyond what was safe to continue so we backtracked out.
On the deck was a nice whip coral shrimp and a few anemone. Back up the steep slope to the surface. After the rain last night and today the top 2m was at least 3°c cooler than the ocean temp which felt /really/ cold. On the boat in cold gear, wind and rain the whole way back. We were definitely feeling the cold. Our (local) guide was shivering and covered in goosebumps.
Arvo dive was called off because of the wind/rain. It was probably still less than 5kt winds again and the rain was barely spitting... better safe than sorry I guess. We passed the time with more cards and maybe a few beers...
Day 7 - Last day diving.
Saving the best for last we headed off to Shark Point. On the outside of the island chain a deep wall promising lots of pelagic and great visibility. Well at least we had great visibility...
The dive was a nice calm drift along the wall. Some saw a shark or two early off in the depths, likely a black tip reef shark. I was tail end Charlie for much of the dive so didn't see those. I still spent a bit of time looking for nudibranch without much success.
Eventually we got to the point and a few of us with reef hooks locked in and sat in the, now moderate, currant. Sitting for about 15min and I saw 1 white tip reef shark. Eventually it was time to move on and more of the same around the point. Great diving and fairly good coral just a hard time finding anything that would make the diving special.
The dive was a nice calm drift along the wall. Some saw a shark or two early off in the depths, likely a black tip reef shark. I was tail end Charlie for much of the dive so didn't see those. I still spent a bit of time looking for nudibranch without much success.
Eventually we got to the point and a few of us with reef hooks locked in and sat in the, now moderate, currant. Sitting for about 15min and I saw 1 white tip reef shark. Eventually it was time to move on and more of the same around the point. Great diving and fairly good coral just a hard time finding anything that would make the diving special.
As were flying out tomorrow it was only the one dive today. To fill in some time we had pre-arranged a trip to Skull Island. This was a burial island that included the skull of one of the last kings of the Munda Provence area. A practice discontinued after the arrival/spread of christianity.
Some of these skulls were trophies from inter-island conflicts back in the day but others were tribute/memorials to revered friends and families. One skull was the great grandfather of our main dive guide. A pretty sombre location.
From there it was off to another island for a traditional lunch. BBQ fish was the main but it was supported by some nice creamed banana, they have oner 100 varieties of banana they regularly eat, most of them fantastic! Best one was the one with an orangish tinge in the flesh. Some cassava root and sweet potato to round out the banana leaf plate.
Back to the main island to rinse and dry gear... so of course it was overcast with scattered showers. The Guides rinsed all the gear and hung it up to try dry but there wasn't much luck. When we took our gear out of the dive shop to hand at our rooms most found a bit of water still in the bladders. Enough to fill a drink cup in mine.
The group used a bit of the spare time in the afternoon to run up to the hospital and deliver our "Pack for a Purpose" items. We chose mostly useful consumables. Simple items but supplies that can be included easily to an understaffed hospital. Mostly testing kits etc. The Doctor (one of only 2, that run a 24hr hospital) was very thankful.
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| Thanks Coralie for the pics. |
Back at the hotel there was more cards in the evening before our last dinner. They had a BBQ going and most got it with plenty of Painted Crayfish on the plate to go around. $30 aud for more than most could eat. After finishing off the remainder of our duty free grog it was time for bed.
Day 8 - Homeward bound
Last day on the island so a bit of a sleep in before breakfast. Then it was time to settle up our dive and restaurant bills and pack the gear. Due to the unfortunate wind warnings (which seemed to be set off at anything over 5kt winds) I didn't get in many extra dives. Only the night dive. However there was also the reef tax and fuel surcharge, which was the same regardless if it was a 15min or 45min trip on the boat... with 12 people it's a drawn out process.
Total extras for me:
After the lines (and slow eftpos machines) it was a speedy pack before loading the truck with gear and following it for the short walk off to the airport. When we arrived we found the first 40min delay of the day, it was amazing to wait for 1.5 hours in the extremely modern departure lounge.
Total extras for me:
- Alcohol - $650 SBD
- Food - $1820 SBD
- Diving - $310 AUD
After the lines (and slow eftpos machines) it was a speedy pack before loading the truck with gear and following it for the short walk off to the airport. When we arrived we found the first 40min delay of the day, it was amazing to wait for 1.5 hours in the extremely modern departure lounge.
Puddle jump flight to Gizo was as expected, aircon struggling to keep up. Only 15min flight time so no snack. Another long wait on the plane sitting on the tarmac with struggling aircon and some jostling for seats. 1/2 the plane has assigned seats but not the other half, so you just sit anywhere... some people struggle with the concept. The coconut biscuit for a snack wasn't very exciting.
Into the newly renovated Honiara international (departure) airport to glorious aircon. Nelly got pulled up at security because of a 50ml bushman's roll-on and a few had water taken but the rest made it through without too much fanfare. Because the first flight was delayed and we took a bit of time getting checked in and through security/immigration we only had ~10min in the departure lounge before our flight home was called.
Another huge group rushed the gate, so that they could be stuck on the plane for an extra 10min.. I guess? Flight went well and the food was good again. Landing only 20 or so min late we got our bags and said our goodbyes before making our way home.
All that's left is to unpack the still damp and very smelly dive gear, give it a good vinegar soak and wash/rinse... but that can be left until tomorrow.
Another great URGQ trip, smooth sailing thanks to the great organisation by Nelly and everyone helping out as we went!!
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