September 15, 2025 – September 25, 2025 CDT
Definately off the beaten path but some of the most spectacular diving
Definately off the beaten path but some of the most spectacular diving
Ann and I were on a phone call with the operations manager and the sales and marketing manager for Master Liveaboards last night talking about our various travel bookings over the next few years. One of the more exciting things to come out of that conversation is the scheduled re-opening of the Solomon Islands! According to government officials, the Islands will re-open to tourism without a quarantine requirement.
The Solomon Islands Government will require that all visitors be fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID test prior to entering the country. At the present time, the United Sates is still requiring a negative COVID test before re-entering the United States.
This is fantastic news for us, This means that our scheduled Solomon Islands liveaboard trip for October is running and the boat will be in-country in time for our trip!
If you are unsure as to where in the world the Solomon Islands are located, you will find them in the Coral Triangle near Australia. You may recognize the name of the main island in the chain, Guadalcanal.
Diving in the archeligo, is very special. There are loarge schools of fish, giant Napoleon Wrasses, sharks, baracudas and jacks. But not to be outdone, there are small interesting fish, corals and nudibranchs. And let’s not forget the people. They are warm and friendly and love welcoming visitors to their island home.
If you love handicrafts, they you will be in heaven. The locals are expert carvers and jewelry makers. Often time they are even willing to barter their art for things you may have in excess like t-shirts, backpacks and flashlights.
We hope you can join us for a special adventure to one of the most special dive destinations in the Pacific.
If you would like to discover more about the Solomon islands, here is a short video from a previous trip…
The Solomon Islands comprise 992 islands, of which only 147 are inhabited. Situated to the northeast of Australia and southeast of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands are one of the last frontiers; untouched, peaceful and beautiful. Due to its remote location, the country offers some of the most pristine dive sites in the world, filled with innumerable unspoiled hard and soft corals. Indulge yourself in true picture postcard diving.
There is something for everyone in the Solomon Islands. For those who like their creatures on the large side there are various types of shark cruising amid the spectacular scenery of jaw dropping reefs, walls and pinnacles. For the macro diver, there is a plethora of macro wonders to discover such as pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, electric clams and ghost pipefish. The marine diversity in Solomon Islands is hard to beat! There are wrecks, caves, caverns, and underwater volcanos. And the local villagers are friendly and interested in meeting visitors and sharing their crafts, carvings, and culture.
The Solomon Islands are THE destination for the real diving fan looking for a change of scenery, completely off the beaten track.
Embarkation: Coral Sea Resort, Honiara at 18:00
Disembarkation: Coral Sea Resort, Honiara, at 8:00
The Solomon Master is a rebreather friendly vessel. However, sorb and oxygen must be ordered 4 months in advance. If you are using your CCR on this trip, please let us know early so we can make the proper arrangements. So, yes, you may use your rebreather.
Shopping in town, City and cultural tours
Airfare, additional transfers, meals or activities in transit, any additional hotels based on air schedule once published, transfers not with the group, other land tours, tips for crew and local guides, diving insurance, nitrox, diving equipment not listed above, alcoholic drinks on board, on-board merchandise, local taxes and port fees, Club Aquarius fee $65 pp. Tips need to be paid in cash. All other vessel expenses can be paid by credit card subject to an admin fee of 3%. Sofnolime and rebreather gas must be ordered 4 months in advance. We may need to transit thru Australia or Fiji.
The traveler must be free from COVID before departure. A COVID test is required before departure and a test is required to return to the United States. These requirements are subject to change
Please see the Terms & Conditions page for a listing of our travel policies. Additionally, please see the Master Liveaboard terms and conditions. By depositing on the trip, you agree to both sets of terms and conditions. All prices are subject to change until booked and ticketed. All moneys are due in full on deposit even if not paid in full and some penalties may ably for cancellations based on the operators policies and group penalties. As with most small island properties and vessels, cancellations are more of an issue so they have limited ability to fill unused spaces. We highly recommend trip insurance to help avoid any unnecessary problems and should be purchased within 14 das of the initial deposit to receive the most benefit. No refunds for missed flights or changes in plans. Trip insurance and diving insurance can be found at http://oceanicventures.com/travel-insurance/. Both Dive Assure/DAN and Travel Guard have a family plan. Diving Accident and Medical Insurance is required. Vessel and OVI travel releases are required. Please plan to bring a copy of your logbook, c-card, and diving insurance.
Passport must have a minimum of 6 months validity prior to passport expiration. No refunds for missed flights or boats.
Note: All guests spaces are reserved upon deposit. But unless a minimum number of guest sign up for the trip by the deadline dates, an Oceanic Ventures trip leader will not be attending.
October 21 – 29, 2022
Airfare is not included in this trip. Your destination is Honiara
It is best to fly with the group so please let us help you plan this part of the trip. The air schedules for this trip have not been set yet so air will require some patience.
The trip includes 1 night in a transit hotel on arrival and on departure.
All per person double and Club membership. First booked, first choice. Only 15 guest spaces available
We highly recommend travel insurance to help cover you for unknown events that may occur. You should purchase it within 14 days of your deposit to receive the most benefit from the policy. We also recommend that you have coverage to help you in the event you need to leave for weather or other emergencies.
Join Shaz Kozak and Alex Whitley-Wilson as they take us off the sidewalk to the tropical Solomon Islands and the people and places that make up this special group of islands.
So pick-up your favorite dinner and pour yourself your treasured cocktail and let’s talk about diving!
The morning finds is on our first diving location. Diving off the Bilikiki is done primarily off the “tinies,” aluminum boats with cylinder holes and a small ladder. Csaba (pronounced Chaba) was in charge of the first dive and after the briefing it was – this way to the South Pacific and Tinie 1, Tinie 1 as the crew moved the diving equipment from the deck to the tinie. The order was the same each day, diving equipment, cameras then divers. All you as a diver needed to do was to let the crew members know that you were ready, move your name tag from “on-board” to “diving” and then step aboard your waiting diving chariot.
The adventure continues…
Let’s just get this over with at the beginning. The Bilikiki is an old vessel that is not as well appointed as many other modern live aboard diving and touring vessels. The dining area has plastic lawn chairs and the tables are simple. The main salon is not air conditioned and there is no wet head on the dive deck. But, the crew on this vessel is second to none. The newest member of the crew has only been on the vessel for two years but spent seven years on the Spirit of the Solomon’s, the sister ship to the Bilikiki. Most of the remaining crew members have been with the vessel for more than seven to twenty-years. The on-board diving managers have been here a year and come from extensive ship management in the Red Sea. Needless to say, they all know how to make your life aboard special!
Our tour also encompassed Henderson field (we landed here), the river near Red Beach, and a stop at the statue of Sir Jacob Vouza, the Solomon Islander who alerted the allies to the advancing Japanese troops despite being tortured, stabbed and left for dead. He survived, was Knighted by the Queen of England and even renamed his village to California so he could tell his friends in America that he was in California.
As our tour ended, our diving adventure was about to begin. Csaba, on of the on-board boat managers met us at the hotel and transported us to the Honiara Yacht Club – a stuffy name for a simple location with small boats and a nice bar. Here we joined our luggage which had already been loaded by the crew. We were met by Daniela, the lively Venezuelan on-board manager. She is also married to Csaba and no, he is not from Venezuela but rather hails from Hungry and Eastern Europe.
The first day on a live aboard is always busy with everyone scurrying around trying to assemble their dive equipment which is scattered around various bags necessitated by the airline luggage rules. Only after everything is reassembled, tested and stored is there time to relax.
It was soon after dinner that the boat set sail for the beginning of our ten-day cruise through the Solomon Islands.
The adventure continues…
Oceanic Ventures, Inc
5808 Newcastle Dr.
Houston, TX 77401-3214
USA
Phone: 713-523-DIVE (3483)
eMail: divesafe@oceanicventures.com
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Ann really took her time helping to fit my niece with her first mask and fins. We so appreciated the personal attention, and we loved that she was open to talking about dive certification, but she wasn't giving us the hard sell. We live out toward Tomball but would happily drive back here vs. going to a nearby competitor simply for the service.
They gave been wonderful all the way. My son started in Scuba Rangers and now we are both certified; thank you for taking care of us!
I loved the course!
They are great with children!
I will never forget diving with my teen aged son for the first time. Thank you for the memories.
Eric is a real ambassador for the rebreather world. Thanks for all of your hard work.
I really enjoyed my Technical Diver Course and I learned a lot.
Best Dive Shop I've ever used. I've been diving since 1984 and you will not find more talented staff anywhere else. They are small, family owned and service oriented #1. You get personal service from start to finish from people who actually dive all over the world. I've taken simple to advance courses from them and the trainers are excellent. Dive trips are well organized to unique locations and always fun. This type of depth of knowledge is very difficult to find, especially in Texas.
Great dive shop with wonderful instructors to share your passion for the underwater world. They have fun for the whole family from kids diving programs through advanced diving. Checkout their scuba diving vacation to some of the best diving in the world. I really like the Diva dive vacation to Grand Cayman.
I have been to many scuba stores in Houston and this one is by far the best. Most scuba stores have a couple of salespersons who will show you one of the 40 types of fins and 10 types of regulators that they have in stock and immediately try to sell these to you. Most of these same stores really cater only to people just getting certified. Oceanic ventures has a very different business model. While they do have an inventory, it is not as large as other stores. The difference is that they really try to foster a dive community. It works. People come back again and again. Further, unlike many stores, they teach just about everything possible. If you want to teach your child how to snorkel, they teach that. If you want to learn how to dive 350 feet down on a rebreather using helium gas mixes and several additional scuba tanks, they teach that. They teach everything in between. Not many stores do that. Additionally, the staff is very knowledgeable about all the equipment they sell. You will never get an "I don't know about that" type of answer.
People choose their friends carefully just as they should choose their adventure partners and Scuba Diving Instructors. Oceanic Ventures is the premier scuba dive shop in Houston, Texas, and the Southwest because of our exceptional service and our sense of adventure. In talking with our clients and friends, people choose us for a number of reasons such as: Passion – We love what we do and we want to share the beauty and excitement of the underwater world with everyone we meet. Caring- Our clients tell us they love us because we truly care about people and strive to make their scuba diving experiences safe, fun and enjoyable. Professional – Our staff members are the … [Read more …]