Emperor Bilikiki

My wife and I just returned from a glorious trip on the Bilikiki where we truly enjoyed the boat and the diving. The boat is a refitted cargo vessel. That may take you aback, but it has real character and you will fall in love the spacious boat. The dive deck is very roomy with double camera tanks and two level camera table. The actual dives take place from “Tiny’s” that make for an extraordinary experience. When you pop to the surface the Tiny races you back to the boat, no waiting. The deck crew takes care of everything and all you need to do is rinse in a warm shower and hang your dive suits (if you wear them). The attention to you from the crew is the best!The rooms are comfortable and have plenty of room to store whatever gear you want in your room. Since the voltage is 240V, you will need to take a power strip or plan to use the Bilikiki well stocked recharging room behind the pilot house. It has both 110v and 240v for those coming from anywhere in the world. There is an inside camera table for those that take lots of accessories and lenses so that you can rig your system as you like without any hassle. Each person has their own basket to hold your precious gear.The eating arrangements were casual. Buffet style serving with great food and dining on the large deck. Eating is very healthy with many local vegetables (yummy) and low fat/salt main courses. Great custom made snacks between dives with plenty of fruit.As for the diving, it was our first trip to the Pacific side. However, since the Bilikiki is the only boat operating in the Solomon Islands the reefs are virgin and astonishingly healthy. We saw every form of sea life we read about. Our most memorable were the Manta’s, huge schools of Barracuda, other large schools and the many varieties of Anemone Fish. We dove some of the most published photographed places in the Pacific such as those popularized by Stephen Frink (Leru Cut and others). We did not see any whales.We meet people that were highly traveled divers that were making their 3-5th trips on the Bilikiki and were very clear as to why. We feel fortunate to have made this choice!!

I went on a 10-day trip on the Bilikiki followed by a 7-day trip. Both trips were absolutely fantastic, and I would LOVE to return to the Solomon Islands on the Bilikiki. I'll start with the diving. The overall theme is incredible diversity of diving. There's a little bit of everything...wall dives and beautiful reefs, muck dives, shark dives, drift dives, and even wrecks. As such, there are endless photography opportunities. For the macro enthusiast, we saw tons of critters: lots of nudibranchs, multiple species of pygmy seahorses, larger seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, ghost pipefish, cuttlefish, octopus, blennies, shrimp, mandarinfish...and the list goes on.Amazingly, there were equally as many wide angle opportunities: huge schools of jacks and barracuda at Mary's Island, great visibility at multiple dive spots, manta rays, turtles, sharks, caves, and beautiful coral reefs. Oftentimes you will encounter multiple macro and wide-angle opportunities at the same dive site, so be prepared to choose your lens carefully.Diving is sometimes done directly off the Bilikiki and sometimes from smaller boats that transport divers to/from the Bilikiki. Dive times are unlimited, and the dive platform of the Bilikiki makes your life very easy. The setup for photographers is nice as well with great care taken for photography equipment.The next perk of the Bilikiki was the incredible crew. They were absolutely spectacular. Friendly, knowledgeable, and doing whatever it took to make passengers happy. The crew was truly a highlight of the trip.The food was great as well. As context, I eat a LOT, and I was very happy with the food on the Bilikiki...great meals and lots of snacks in between meals.I am absolutely thrilled with my Bilikiki experience and would love to return. My only frustration with the experience is the difficulty in getting there from the United States. We flew from LA to Fiji to Vanuatu to Honiara, and then we had to wait two days to board the Bilikiki. The reason for this wait was not due to any issues with the Bilikiki, but because this was the last flight available that got us to Honiara prior to embarking on the Bilikiki. I know this wasn't the case for all trips on the Bilikiki, but it was the case for mine.Granted, I was there in 2008, so hopefully this is no longer an issue. And as I said, the overall experience was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend the Bilikiki and the Solomon Islands.

We were aboard the Bilikiki liveaboard for a 10 day trip May 12-24, 2013 in the Solomon Islands. It is by far the best liveaboard experience that we have ever had. The divemasters Daniela and Csaba were outstanding. They not only gave us great dive briefings, but underwater helped to show us many things that we would missed on our own. Underwater photography was outstanding with great visibility and lots of sealife and pristine corals. Daniela and Csaba also were great above water by being great hosts and tour guides as we were able to visit several islands to buy hand made goods and visit villages. You could tell that the villagers had an excellent relationship with the Bilikiki. The crew was also excellent and extended wonderful hospitality to us. The meals were are all good and included a variety of choices. Breakfast included scrambled eggs, fruit, and pastries. Lunch was simple with sandwich fixings. Dinner included a choice of several entrees from fresh fish, chicken, pork, or beef with fresh grilled vegetables. There was a bar with a limited choice of wines, beers, and mixed drinks. Alcoholic drinks were extra.There were 10 cabins that accommodated 2 persons per cabin. The cabins did not have windows because they were below sea level. The cabins were simple with moderate space for storage. The ensuite bathroom was small, but functional. There was plenty of hot water for the shower. there was separate room for camera equipment and charging batteries,Tinney's were used to transport the divers from the boat to the dive sites. All dives were drift dives with the tinney's dropping off and picking up the divers. The boat staff transported your equipment to and from the tinney's. Entrance into the water was by a backroll. About 10 divers were in each tinney. There was always one dive master in the water with many times both divemasters. There was an opportunity to do 5 dives each day with one being at night where the boat was moored for the evening. Nitrox was available and average dives were 60 minutes.There were lots of nudibranches, anenomefish, clownfish, various angelfish, black tip sharks, giant clams, a few pigmy seahorses, a variety of starfish, triggerfish, one dive site with mandarin fish, eels, coral reef snakes, puffers, and lionfish. The most challenging divesite was Devil's Highway, but it was worth it to see manta rays at a feeding station.Our favorite place in Indonesia is Wakatobi, but the Solomon Islands are a close second.We would highly recommend a trip on the Bilikiki and look forward to returning someday soon.

Getting here is not too bad. We flew to Brisbane from LA, stayed a couple of days, and then flew non-stop to Honiara which is only about a 3.5 hour flight away. We didn’t stay on land, but several people did. If you have an interest in WWII wrecks, there is plenty to see. Just be ready for Malaria protection as this is one of the worst places in the world for malaria.The Bilikiki is a nice boat but not spectacular. We had a very unusual situation in that because of a group cancellation, there were only four of us on board. It was kind of fun to have a room all to ourself and we kind of designed each day as the four of us wanted to have it happen. The host and hostess were both dive masters and that was who led the four of us into battle. As could be expected, we were given total flexibility in our dive profile. I have remained friends with the other 2 divers for almost a decade now.The boat had a great relationship with the natives. They would sell us vegetables and fish on many of our stops. We did 3 village stops during our 11 days and they were very authentic and lots of fun. We were likely the only outside civilization that they would see for a month. The welcome was always warm and sincere.The food was consistently good, but not as good as some other boats I have been on. The breakfasts were nice, but the dinners were a little boring after a while.The Solomons have a number of very lovely dive sites. My personal favorite was Custom Cave which is a long tunnel that ends in a large open cavern with an opening to the sun at the top. When the sun goes under a cloud, it gets dark and when the sun comes out, a light switch goes on and a beam comes from the ceiling. Very cool. Leru Cut is similar and is more famous. The shimmering light is very unusual.Mary’s Island has diving similar to Sipadan. The premier dive site is Barracuda Point which attracts gray sharks and large schools of fish. It is quite deep and the best action is well below 100 feet.Only the longer itineraries go to the Morovo Lagoon and the very best diving is definitely there. If you are going half way around the world, it is good to get to these dive sites. They are classic atoll dives with the best dives along cuts into the center of the lagoon. Amazing sea fans on several of the sites.Back in the Russell Islands, a series of sites hover over the giant garbage dumps left by the U.S. after the battle of Guadacanal. Lots of critters hereThroughout the Solomons, the seas were warm and the clarity was very high. We found a very nice Mandarin Fish site here that was as good as any one that I have seen anywhere.The overall impression of diving in the Solomons is variety. Nice WWII wrecks. Schools of fish at Morovo Lagoon and Mary’s Island. Some very nice critter sites. Leru and Custom Cave are highly unusual as well.We were on the boat for 11 days and did 50 dives. It was a very good experience.

We had 10 magical days in the Solomon’s with the Bilikiki. The boat has been remodeled with new bathrooms and Starlink. (Free internet). The crew is very engaging and helpful. Safety comes first onboard the vessel. The dive sites were magical, best hard corals I have ever seen, impressive caves and passages. Incredible ship and plane wrecks. Food was good, insightful dive briefings. Incredible and diverse marine life. The diving at the mangroves was exceptional and the diving at Tulagi and the plane wreck out of this world. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone. Tim Yeo our travel agent took care of us all the way

great diving! pristine. really enjoyed the diving, incredible coral. They do a shark feed once which I don't support, but staff was great. very accommodating. boat is ok, had a rather large room in the bow, as liveaboards go, no complaints. well suited for couples and singles, no strong currents for us, landscape is stunningly beautiful. also, get to visit local villages and shop, really worthwhile.

To start with, the office staff and the boat staff provided incredible customer service. We missed our flight in Los Angeles (first day of U.S. government sequester and not enough Air Traffic Controllers to get us into LA in time...) and they coordinated the boat so that it was close enough to pick us up when we arrived 2.5 days late! Amazing service. Once on board, the crew and staff continued the great service.This is a comfortable, interesting boat. Not a cookie-cutter dive boat, it has lots of wood trim and unique touches. It was very comfortable for the 7+ days we were aboard. The food was very, very good - locally grown produce bought on stops at the villages, and an incredible variety of offerings. Multiple entrees and salads for lunch and dinner. Good vegetarian options. The camera area was in the lounge and maybe not up to par for lots of big rigs, but everyone made do just fine, I think.The diving included a wide variety as well. Wrecks (do the tuna boat - it is upright, bow down, along a wall!) (we missed some of the wrecks because we were late...), walls, pinnacles, coral gardens. Lots of fish and a wide variety; lots of nudis and small stuff, too. Caverns and caves, and an incredible site 20 miles from an underwater volcano that you can hear - a deep rumbling noise! I think the marine environment has declined in recent years - that was my impression - but also true of many other sites. I'd say that overall marine life was still very good.The village visits were definitely worth it - from just pulling up to canoes selling produce and flowers, to having a traditional dance performance for us. A great opportunity to see incredible art/crafts (and purchase some, of course) and learn a bit about how people on small isolated islands live.

When it comes to diving the Solomon Islands, the fact that (somewhat) sister boats Bilikiki and Spirit are the only game in town is not a bad thing. Neither of these boats would be called the prettiest girl at the ball, but they are very comfortable and well-suited to their task. At 125 feet, these large boats have plenty of space for the maximum 20 or so divers that they take.Both indoor and outdoor common space is more than adequate and comfortably appointed. The camera room is not enormous, particularly for a full boat of hard-core photographers – but has adequate power points and can be made to work for a sensible group.Rooms on the boat are comfortable (it is a boat and not a Four Seasons), with private baths and showers for most of the rooms. The staff onboard are very helpful and friendly, looking after any needs one might imagine. The food is great, with small but diverse buffets for lunch and dinner, and plenty of snacks (including fresh warm cookies) in between.As with all live-aboards, a trip on these boats is about the diving, the diving and the diving. It is generally possible to do four or five dives a day, with bottom times of an hour at least. The diving itself covers everything from open water pelagics, to attractive reefs, to WWII wrecks to surprisingly attractive mangroves. The skipper and crew seem to choose wisely based on sea and weather conditions and the interests of the divers. The boats change location seamlessly in between dives or in the evenings, covering a long stretch of the island chain with no fuss or inconvenience.Almost all of the diving is done from ‘tinnies’ – metal tenders that take the divers from the anchored boat to the nearby targeted dive site and this system really works. The local tinny captains are both friendly and highly competent at keeping track of their divers underwater. Diving can be done with a guide from the boat or just in buddy pairs – but regardless the tinny always seems to appear from nowhere when one reaches the surface.The final bonus of a trip on these boats is the brief (optional) island visits, when the boat pulls up to fill its water tanks or buy fresh supplies from the local people. This is not the commercially packaged ‘village tour’ that one might expect from a cruise ship holiday. The lovely locals in these isolated islands are happy and welcoming in a manner that definitely makes this an additive part of the trip.A journey on these boats begins and ends in Honiara, the very undeveloped capital of the Solomon Islands. While it is a basic place by any sensible measure, Honiara is worth a couple of days at the beginning or end of the boat trip – with an interesting WWII history for fans of such matters.