Discover the Untouched Frontier: Guadalcanal & The Western Province!

Prepare to step off the map and plunge into the ultimate frontier of scuba diving. Dive Outdoors invites you on an awe-inspiring expedition to Guadalcanal and the breathtaking Western Province of the Solomon Islands—a destination so remote, pristine, and unspoiled, it feels like a secret the ocean has kept just for us. Here, you will descend into the legendary, history-steeped waters of "Iron Bottom Sound" to explore haunting, world-class WWII shipwrecks, and glide through the crystal-clear, sunlit lagoons of the Western Province, where impossibly vibrant coral gardens drop off into the infinite blue. From exploring hidden volcanic caves and towering sea fans to swimming alongside massive schools of pelagics in one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth, this is more than just a dive trip. It is a raw, heart-pounding adventure into the wild, beating heart of the South Pacific.

Below is a comprehensive overview of the Solomon Islands’ history, travel options from the United States, diving requirements, recommended packing list, and important health and medication considerations. Following this essential background information, we explore the extraordinary diving experiences that make the Solomon Islands such a remarkable destination.

The Legacy of Guadalcanal and Ironbottom Sound

The Battle of Guadalcanal, fought between August 1942 and February 1943, marked a massive turning point in the Pacific Theater. It was the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan, designed to protect the vital supply routes between the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The fighting was incredibly brutal, both in the dense, malaria-ridden jungles and on the open water. The naval clashes were so intense and frequent that the body of water north of the island was forever renamed "Ironbottom Sound." During these ferocious engagements, the United States and Japan each lost approximately 24 frontline warships. While the campaign was a strategic victory for the Allies, it came at a staggering cost, with nearly 5,000 American sailors losing their lives in the surrounding waters. https://youtu.be/FI4eNk69E8Q?si=wl1jC2Ys0WxjvwiG

The Legend of PT-109
One of the most legendary stories of survival to emerge from the Solomon Islands campaign is that of future U.S. President John F. Kennedy. In August 1943, Kennedy was commanding PT-109, a patrol torpedo boat, when it was rammed and sliced completely in half by a Japanese destroyer in the pitch black of night. Kennedy heroically gathered his surviving crew and swam for hours, towing a badly burned crewmate by his life jacket strap, until they reached a small, deserted island. Their ultimate rescue was made possible only by the immense bravery of two local Solomon Islander coastwatchers, Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana. The two men discovered the stranded Americans and paddled their dugout canoe through enemy-infested waters carrying a rescue message that JFK had carved into a coconut shell. https://youtu.be/fG_3K5h0siE?si=MjOGnUrQtLJ1ZWPc

Diving the Wrecks Today
Today, diving the Solomon Islands is a profound journey into the past. In Ironbottom Sound and the surrounding lagoons, history rests just below the surface. Within recreational diving limits, you can descend onto the coral-encrusted decks of massive Japanese transports like the Hirokawa Maru and Kinugawa Maru, which slope gently down from the beaches. In the sunlit shallows, divers can hover over perfectly intact Japanese Zeros and American aircraft like the B-17 Flying Fortress. These machines of war have been transformed over the last 80 years into thriving artificial reefs, bursting with colorful hard corals, massive sea fans, and swirling clouds of tropical fish, offering a diving experience that is both deeply humbling and visually spectacular.

Travelers flying from San Francisco to the Solomon Islands in August will normally enter through Honiara International Airport (HIR). The most convenient routing is often aboard Fiji Airways from SFO to Nadi, Fiji—a nonstop flight of approximately 11 hours—followed by a three-hour flight from Nadi to Honiara operated by Fiji Airways, Solomon Airlines, or Air Niugini. Because the Nadi–Honiara service operates only on selected days, the journey may require an overnight stay in Fiji; total travel time is generally about 20 to 30 hours, depending on the connection. Another option is to fly from SFO to Brisbane, Australia, on United Airlines or Qantas and then connect to Honiara aboard Solomon Airlines or Qantas; the SFO–Brisbane flight takes approximately 14 to 15 hours, followed by a three-hour-and-15-minute flight to Honiara. Travelers may also connect through Los Angeles or Auckland, but these routings are usually longer. Since travelers cross the International Date Line, they ordinarily arrive two calendar days after leaving San Francisco. August schedules should be coordinated carefully with the limited connecting flights into Honiara and any onward domestic flight or boat transfer. Fiji Airways schedules and Solomon Airlines schedules should be checked for the specific travel dates.

If you arrive in Honiara before the liveaboard departure date, several comfortable hotels are available from which Master Liveaboards can arrange pickup. For a higher-end stay, the waterfront Heritage Park Hotel offers modern rooms, restaurants, a swimming pool, spa, and views across historic Iron Bottom Sound, while the Coral Sea Resort & Casino provides stylish resort accommodations, two restaurants, a pool, and a convenient waterfront location—and is especially convenient because arriving Master Liveaboards guests are often taken there to relax before embarkation. Good mid-level choices include the centrally located Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel, which has waterfront rooms, restaurants, and a swimming pool, and the King Solomon Hotel, offering air-conditioned rooms, harbor views, a restaurant, and a resort-style pool. Master Liveaboards provides complimentary transfers from local Honiara hotels to the vessel on embarkation day, with hotel pickups generally scheduled between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m.

For our August trip aboard Solomons Master, travelers can pack lightly because the Solomon Islands are warm and humid, with daytime temperatures around 88°F and evenings around 72–74°F. Bring two or three swimsuits, lightweight T-shirts and shorts, underwear, sleepwear, sandals or flip-flops, a sun hat, sunglasses, and a light rain jacket. A lightweight long-sleeved shirt and long pants are useful for village visits and protection from mosquitoes. A light sweatshirt or hoodie is also worthwhile after repetitive or night dives.

For diving, Master Liveaboards reports year-round water temperatures of approximately 82–85°F. A 3 mm full wetsuit is sufficient for most divers; those who become chilled after several dives per day may prefer a 5 mm suit or an additional thermal layer. A long-sleeved rashguard is strongly recommended for sun protection while on the dive deck, skiff, and during surface intervals. Bring at least two so one can dry while the other is being worn. Solomons Master is a glove-free boat, so dive gloves should be left at home. A dive computer and surface-marker buoy are compulsory. Master Liveaboards’ Solomon Islands guidance.

A rashguard, hat, sunglasses, and protective clothing should be the primary defenses against the strong tropical sun. Travelers should also bring a water-resistant, broad-spectrum, reef-conscious sunscreen of at least SPF 30—preferably a mineral product using zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and without oxybenzone. Apply sunscreen well before entering the water and avoid applying it immediately before a dive when possible. Dive Outdoors sells rashguards, hats, sunglasses, and water-resistant, reef-conscious sunscreen.

Malaria, dengue, and Zika are present in the Solomon Islands, making insect protection important even aboard a liveaboard, particularly during shore visits and around Honiara. Bring an EPA-registered repellent containing at least 20% DEET or an effective concentration of picaridin. Apply it to exposed skin according to the label, particularly around dawn and dusk, and wear long sleeves and long pants ashore. Permethrin-treated clothing can provide additional protection, but permethrin must not be applied directly to the skin. CDC Solomon Islands travel guidance

Travelers should consult a travel-medicine physician at least four to six weeks before departure. Current CDC recommendations include:

• Being current on routine vaccinations, particularly MMR, tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis, polio, influenza, chickenpox, shingles when age-appropriate, and COVID-19;

• Hepatitis A for unvaccinated travelers;

• Hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers of all ages;

• Typhoid for most travelers, especially anyone visiting villages or smaller communities; and

• Rabies vaccination only for travelers with increased animal-exposure risk or who may have difficulty obtaining prompt treatment.

Yellow fever vaccination is neither recommended nor required for travelers arriving directly from the United States. Proof may be required, however, when arriving from or transiting through certain countries with a yellow-fever risk.

Most importantly, the CDC currently recommends prescription malaria-prevention medication for travelers throughout the Solomon Islands. Options may include atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone), doxycycline, mefloquine, or tafenoquine. The appropriate choice depends on the traveler’s medical history, other medications, sun exposure, and the required dosing schedule. Doxycycline can increase sensitivity to sunlight—an important consideration on a dive boat—while tafenoquine requires testing for G6PD deficiency. Each traveler should select medication with a physician rather than relying on a group recommendation. Some medications must begin before arrival and continue after returning home.

Travelers should also bring all prescription medications in their original containers, seasickness medication, electrolyte packets, remedies for minor stomach illness, antihistamine, pain reliever, antibiotic ointment, bandages, and any personally necessary medical supplies. Because the vessel operates in remote areas, comprehensive travel and dive insurance covering emergency air evacuation and recompression treatment is strongly recommended.

Due to dive site depths and strong currents in some locations covered by this itinerary, some of the diving can be challenging, even for experienced divers, and unsuitable for entry-level divers. All guests are responsible for their dive profiles and must stay within the bounds of their training and dive computer guidelines, follow dive guides' advice, and make a safety stop before the end of each dive.

Minimum dive certification and experience: We recommend guests have PADI Advanced Open Water certification, or equivalent, Nitrox certification, with a mandatory minimum of 40 logged dives. Guests who do not have the recommended certification and mandatory minimum number of dives, or who Master Liveaboards’ crew feel lack the experience or skills to dive safely in certain conditions, may be denied participation in some or all dives. It is a mandatory requirement for all divers to have insurance which covers scuba diving to depths of 30+ metres, emergency evacuation and recompression chamber treatment costs. 

Comprehensive travel insurance (and your Dive Insurance) is required for all participants on this trip. Your policy must cover trip cancellation and interruption, overseas medical treatment, scuba-diving-related emergencies, emergency evacuation, and, ideally, hyperbaric recompression treatment. WeTravel (this website) provides a convenient link through which coverage may be reviewed and purchased; however, travelers may obtain coverage from another reputable provider. Some credit cards include travel insurance when the trip is purchased with the card, but benefits and exclusions vary considerably and may not cover diving accidents, emergency air evacuation, recompression treatment, preexisting medical conditions, or the full cost of the trip. Travelers relying on credit-card coverage must review their benefits carefully and obtain written confirmation that the policy provides the required coverage for this itinerary. Each participant should carry a copy of the policy and emergency-assistance information while traveling.

Because costs are incurred by Master Liveaboards when a reservation is canceled at a traveler’s request, cancellation fees apply unless different terms have been agreed to in writing and are reflected in the Master Liveaboards booking confirmation. Cancellation fees are calculated as follows:

Notice of cancellation received before departure:

Cancellation fee:

• More than 360 days incur a 5% penalty of the total invoice amount or the deposit paid, whichever is greater

• *61–360 days30% of the total invoice amount or the deposit paid, whichever is greater

• 60 days or fewerUp to 100% of the total invoice amount

Cancellation notices must be provided in writing to info@diveoutdoors.com. The effective cancellation date is the date the written notice is received. Any nonrefundable fees or charges identified in the booking confirmation may also apply.

*Any applicable minimum deposit or nonrefundable payment requirements remain subject to the terms stated in the booking confirmation.

** Since you will have travel insurance, the loss of monies will most likely be mitigated.

Dive Outdoors is registered with the State of California as a Seller of Travel. CST #2157586. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. California law requires certain sellers of travel to either have a trust account or a surety bond; Dive Outdoors maintains a: trust account.

Over the course of 9 days, you can expect to spend a day diving around Guadalcanal, 2 days diving at various locations around the Russell Islands, 1 day at Mary Island, 3 days around Marovo Lagoon and the Blanche Channel, and 2 days around Munda.

The order in which each area is visited, and how many dives are offered at each location are determined by a variety of factors, including the embarkation and disembarkation locations, and may vary from one trip to the next.

Your cruise director will schedule up to 4 dives a day: 3 day dives followed by either an afternoon land visit, a sunset dive or a night dive (if cruising schedules allow), typically scheduled as follows:

- Light Breakfast followed by a briefing and dive 1

- Full Breakfast and relaxation

- Briefing and dive 2

- Lunch and relaxation

- Briefing and dive 3*

- Snacks and relaxation

- Briefing for Sunset or Night dive**

- Dinner

*On days where island visits are arranged, dives 3 and / or 4 may not be possible.

**A night dive may be offered on selected days, but is not guaranteed.

The following is an example of the general route only. The number of days and dives in each location may differ, and some areas may be omitted and replaced by others. It all depends upon weather conditions, currents, etc.

Day 1: Embarkation is at the main port in Honiara at 18:00

- Pick up and transfer from hotels in Honiara is between 17:00 and 17:30

- Embarkation is followed by introductions, boat and safety briefings and dinner.

- There is no diving on embarkation day.

We will dive up to 4 times today. Following the dives, we will cruise overnight to the Russell Islands.

Diving up to 4 dives a day!

Three dives today, with an overnight cruise to Marovo Lagoon.

Up to 4 dives a day!

Up to 4 dives a day!

Up to 3 dives today (2 morning dives and an afternoon dive). We kindly request that guests check their flight departure times to ensure they leave a minimum of 24 hours between their final dive and their flight home. If your departure time is early on Day 11, then your dives on this day must be adjusted or not done.

Breakfast on board following by disembarkation at 09:00 and transfer to Munda Airport, or your hotel.