Dive the Wrecks of Iron Bottom Sound

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Dive the wrecks of Iron Bottom Sound

Turkode Destinasjoner Turen starter 36358 Salomonøyene London - Amsterdam - Frankfurt - Paris - Munich

Turen destinasjon Reisen er levert av 13 dager Honiara Fra : NOK 0 Oversikt

The World War II Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theatre. Diving in the Solomon Islands is an opportunity to explore an extraordinary array of ships, aircraft, even submarines. The sea floor in some areas is strewn with these remains from World War II, many now forming new artificial reefs, teeming with marine life.

Reiserute

Day 1: Departure from Europe² on Singapore Airlines Day 2: Arrive Singapore in the afternoon and connecting to Brisbane Day 3: Arrive Brisbane in in the morning and connect with Virgin Australia to Honiara (Solomon Islands) Day 4-11: Diving the wrecks of the Iron Bottom Sound Day 12: Optional excursions Guadalcanal Day 13: Departure from Honiara to Europa via Brisbane and Singapore Day 14: Arrive back in Europe²

It is the year of 1942, both the German Army and the Imperial Japanese Forces are at the peak of their military campaign. In the Paciﬁc the Japanese Forces occupy the islands at Australia´s doorstep. Some Australian Cities like Darwin are already threatened by the Japanese air force.But change is on its way.

Allied Troops stand ready to regain control over all the islands and force the Japanese Troops back, island by island. On the 7th of August 1942 the American Marines storm the beaches of Tulagi, Ghavutu, Tanambogo and Guadalcanal.

While Tulagi, Ghavutu and Tanambogo where quickly taken and under American control within the day, Guadalcanal was not. Due to the strategic importance of Guadalcanal with its Airport Henderson Field nether site would give up and pull back. It took many month of heavy battles with lots of casualties on all sites to get hold of the island called Guadalcanal. Which the Japanese called “Shi Shima” (Island of Death).

It became known as “Iron Bottom Sound.” due to the Between 1941 and 1945, this swath of ocean off the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal saw some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, with American and Japanese forces clashing almost daily at times. For some, the name still conjures up memories of pain, bravery, and brushes with death.

Today, however, Iron Bottom Sound is best known as a mecca for scuba divers, who can explore the dozens of war wrecks that litter its bottom. From ﬁghter planes and tanks, to cargo ships and destroyers, Iron Bottom Sound has become a kind of underwater museum. Major wrecks include the American cruiser Quincy, the Australian heavy cruiser Canberra, the Japanese aircraft carrier Kinugasa, and the battleship Kirishima. While most are in water too deep to be visited by recreational divers, more accessible wrecks have helped make the Solomon Islands, where Iron Bottom Sound is located, a world-famous destination for diver

Day 1: Departure from Europe² This package is based on the services of Singapore Airlines ex Europe². For the best connection you depart Europe in evening for Singapore

Day 2: Singapore to Brisbane Arrive Singapore late in the evening and a short break before you have yet another ﬂight into the night towards Brisbane and Australia

Day 3: Brisbane to Honiara Almost there as you arrive Down Under and Brisbane. The last leg takes you into the Paciﬁc Islands and the Solomon Islands. Landing at Henderson Field, the main international airport on Guadalcanal you are ﬁnally at your destination. After clearing customs and immigration you will be met by our local partner and a transfer into your hotel in Honiara. Honiara is not a "great place" and there is not much to do in the town itself, apart from becoming a member of the Honiara Yacht Club which will give you access to cold beers, cheep snack foods and great people watching in the evenings. Overnight Kitano Medana Hotel.

Diving in the Solomon Islands Guadalcanal is one of the largest islands in the centre if the Solomon Islands and home to the capital Honiara. It saw some of the worst fighting in the Pacific Ocean during WWII, especially during 1942-1943 (see the TV Series "Pacific" for some epic dramatisation of the War in the Pacific), when the American forces liberated Guadalcanal from the Japanese occupation that began in 1939. Some of the heaviest fighting took place just offshore from today's Honiara in Iron Bottom Sound (named after the many wrecks that are littering the ocean floor, Guadalcanal (together with Chuuk lagoon) is on every wreck divers bucket list, but Guadalcanal receives fare less divers and tourists than more popular Chuuk Lagoon, despite easier access and prices.

One of the reasons for this is that a lot of the wrecks oﬀ Guadalcanal is fairly deep and requires tech dive skills and some of the most popular wrecks are the USS Aaron Ward and the USS Atlanta. During your stay you will dive and see aircraft, cannons, destroyers, warships, mine sweepers, oil tankers, submarines, tanks, guns and many other war relics. Besides all these exceptionally valid reasons to travel to the Solomon Islands you can add pristine reefs all overcrowded by marine life. The Solomon Islands is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best diving destinations in the world.

Day 3-11: Diving Guadalcanal We have decided NOT to include breakfast at the hotel as there is an excellent local coﬀee shop close by that serves very good coﬀee and good value breakfast before you start the days diving. Just ask for directions to the Lime Lounge. During your stay we have included 12 shore dives from Honiara as well as a side trip for the weekend to Tulagi with 2 dives and lunch included as well as a day trip to Florida Islands with 2 dives and lunch included.

Day 12: Honiara & Guadalcanal Free day in Honiara and Guadalcanal and we can organise trips to see some of the areas where some of the worst ﬁghting in the Paciﬁc Ocean took place during WWII. Overnight Kitano Medana Hotel.

Day 13: Departure from Honiara Transfer to the airport around midday for your long ﬂight home via Brisbane and Singapore

Day 14: Arrive Europe² You arrive into Europe in the afternoon with onward connections to your home destination.

Viktig Informasjon

Package includes:

Flight Europe² - Honiara - Europe² on Singapore Airlines All airport taxes 30 kilo checked luggage Arrival and departure transfer Guadalcanal 9 nights Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel, Honiara 12 dives included with tanks, weights, belt, transport and kastom fee from Honiara Florida Island trip with 2 dives included with tanks, weights, belt, transport and kastom fee Tulagi weekend trip with 2 dives included with tanks, weights, belt, transport and kastom fee

Not included

Tips Travel and cancellation fees Gases and other tech equipment; Decompression dives attract a surcharge of AUD$20 stage (pony) bottles or twins. A redundant air system is mandatory for decompression dives. Oxygen AUD7¢ per litre (includes tank, regulator, ﬁll and analysing). Helium AUD20c per litre Rebreather scrubber material AUD$20 per kg.

Other useful travel information: Price: based on per person in shared twin / double room in low season. All packages by DIVEPlanet are based in the use of scheduled airlines, and the price will depend on the availability on flights and the hotels used in the package, and can therefore vary. All offers are given without any obligation upon request. Stopover enroute is possible, and the package can also be combined with other destinations in the region. Europe² means all Singapore Airlines gateways in Europe. Ask us for a price from your chosen departure point. Best time to travel: Tropical average daytime temperatures between 25°C – 30°C. and evenings 19°C. Seasons are not clearly defined however November to April are the wetter months. Destination best for: This is mainly a tech dive package as most of the 50+ wrecks are very deep. Guadalcanal was the first big naval naval battle in the South Pacific and the fight between the Japanese and the Allied Forces saw some of the heaviest casualties in the War of The Pacific on Guadalcanal. So this is a mecca for wreck and tech divers. Warning: All wrecks in the Solomon Islands are National Heritage and the pilfering of these wrecks is not permitted. Observing Customs: The people of the Solomon Islands have a rich culture which observes many traditional "kastoms" which vary from province to province. Please ask about appropriate behavior and always ask permission before taking pictures of people or places. Most land outside of Honiara is traditionally owned and may require a ‘kastom fee’ to access, so ask before entering any areas outside the city boundary.

See our destination video from Guadalcanal: Priser / Datoer

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