Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands are one of the dive world's genuine secrets — a country of over 900 islands scattered across the southwestern Pacific, with minimal dive infrastructure, limited tourist traffic, and reefs that show it in the best possible way.

Marovo Lagoon, in the Western Province, is the world's largest saltwater lagoon and a UNESCO World Heritage candidate. The lagoon is ringed by a double barrier reef that creates a sheltered internal environment of extraordinary clarity. Coral gardens, reef walls, and current-swept channels host nurse sharks, reef sharks, manta rays, and some of the densest soft coral growth in the Pacific — all with perhaps a handful of other divers in the area at any given time.

Iron Bottom Sound, the body of water between Guadalcanal and Savo Island, earned its nickname during the devastating naval battles of the Guadalcanal campaign (August 1942 – February 1943). Over 50 warships — American and Japanese — lie on the seafloor here, from 20 to over 300 meters depth. The accessible wrecks include destroyers, cruisers, aircraft, and landing craft, all heavily colonised with coral and marine life. This is among the most historically significant and least-visited wreck diving in the world.

Florida Islands near the capital Honiara offer easier, more accessible reef diving — good for all experience levels, with resident turtles, reef sharks, and the kind of coral diversity that the Coral Triangle's edges consistently produce.

Logistics are genuinely challenging: international flights connect Honiara with Brisbane, Cairns, and Nadi, but internal travel to the outer islands requires domestic flights or days-long boat journeys. Liveaboard operations from Honiara are the most efficient way to cover significant ground.