MV Emperor Bilikiki

Experience the remote Solomon Islands on board the luxurious M/V Emperor Bilikiki. Dive the Russell Islands, Mary Island and Marovo Lagoon on year round departures. Highlights include shark and manta ray encounters, macro sites and wreck dives.

This luxurious 40 metre liveaboard departs Honiara on seven, ten or 14 night adventures to explore the Florida and Russell Islands, Mborokua (Mary) Island and Marovo Lagoon (10 & 14 night itineraries).

Accommodating 20 guests in ten air-conditioned, en-suite cabins, the boat is spacious and comfortable. Facilities include sun decks with shaded areas, a photo room, a salon with large screen TV/DVD, and an extensive dive deck with ample storage space for equipment. Free of charge Starlink internet access is provided to all guest where coverage allows. Surface intervals between dives are often used to visit the island villages close by, and experience some of their extraordinary hospitality and colourful culture.

Up to four dives a day are offered (plus a night dive), most from the accompanying tenders. The nutrient rich waters support a wealth of marine life from colourful tropical fish to huge schools of barracuda. Expect to see an amazing diversity of macro life as well as tuna, sharks and manta rays. The underwater topography includes sheer walls, pinnacles and caves as well as huge fans, coral gardens, mangroves and wrecks (ships, trucks and planes). There's so much to see and photographers will have the chance to shoot with both a macro or wide-angle lens.

Diving highlights include Leru Cut, a beautiful reef formation with beams of light shining down coupled with jungle covered cliffs and a sheer wall at the end. The uninhabited Mary Island is often reported as one of the best diving experiences due to the abundance of fish life and the Russell Islands are home to the impressive wreck of the Japanese Mavis Seaplane which sits at a depth of 30 metres and is mostly intact with plenty of macro life in and around. Marovo Lagoon offers a little of everything!

Water temperature is a warm 28C year round and visibility can be up to 40 metres. The trips include some wreck diving and snorkellers are welcome. Nitrox is available.

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