The longest-established scuba diving magazine in North America $6.95 - Summer 2020 NEWEST GEAR RETURN TO DIVING DIVE FACTS CAVE MAPPING REDISCOVERING BONAIRE Part 2: DCI and denial - Colourful history of the demystifying dive computers SOLOMON ISLANDS PM40063683 Display Until September 30,2020 Do freedivers have an advantage fighting COVID-19? Dive Traveller The Solomons PNG Master also known as Taka, seen here in the western province of the seldom- explored Solomon Islands THE COLOURFUL HISTORY OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS Words and Photos by Brandon Cole s the decades of my life aquatic fly by, I have found my interests changing. Evolution is a natural process, after all. Once focused only on critters, now I can also appreciate hulks of historical metal and the artful play of sunbeams dancing in a dark cavern. So too those surface intervals filled with cultural immersion. A recent expedition to the Solomon Islands reinforced my new appreciation that variety is indeed the spice of life. Few dive destinations offer such a Swiss army knife of experiences. The impressions formed both below and above the waves of this storied corner of the South Pacific will resonate within me for quite some time to come. AThe core of our three-week-long adventure was a 10-night “Best of Solomons” cruise on the Solomons PNG Master liveaboard. The island nation spans nearly 900 miles (1448km), and with so much ocean real estate, a floating hotel and mobile dive headquarters is a comfortable, efficient platform for proper exploration of this archipelago, whose one thousand islands are ringed by stunning coral reefs and steeped in war history. Though our voyage began in Honiara, the capital city of the Solomons on the island of Guadalcanal, our splashing commenced in the Russell Group after a seven-hour overnight steam to the west-northwest. 20 Magazine www.divermag.com 21 Dive Traveller During our first dive briefing for photogenic truck in 125 feet (38m). pay our respects to the locals. Our eyes on the barracuda. There were Hundreds of knew just what to expect and where. White Beach, I was thrilled to hear There are a number of reefs Ships sank, planes sank, men died. The boat’s crew have forged a special a couple hundred, at least, stacked big eye jacks We planned and executed two dives. Adam, vessel co-cruise director, around the globe named Rainbow bond with Chief Raymond and up in a wall of steel. Envious of aggregating The first was a short drop to 118 feet world was at war, with the Solomon along a sloping throw in, “Don’t poke the bombs!” Reef, many of which fail to dazzle. the people of Karamulon Village, their aerodynamics, I finned for all reef bathed in the (36m) for decorated dartfish, their along with mentions of pink eyed Thankfully, this was not one of Islands caught right in middle of it all caretakers of the vibrant reef we I was worth and moved in, hoping clear blue waters fiery cousins, and tilefish. The next gobies, pygmy seahorses, forklifts, them. This site was bursting with just enjoyed. Everyone—uber for a wallpaper shot, almost filling of the Solomon was an 80-minute photo shooting and jeeps. There’s no better way colour and bustling with activity. cute children, proud, handsome the frame before they shifted into Islands spree at an extraordinary cleaning to start a working holiday than with Rising from deep water to 50 feet dashed about displaying to his harem parents, and distinguished, wizened tornado form and spun around me. station in just 30 feet (9m). Pinktail munitions lying about in the company (15m), the sides of this current- of females like a piscine peacock. oldsters—warmly welcomed us into In my element, though a bit dizzy triggers, snappers, and bignose of cool critters. The promise of swept seamount, especially in the Our group of 14 took advantage their community with song, dance and having gulped half my air, I unicornfish lined up to bare gills for World War II history has become an 80 to 120-foot (24-36m)-range, were of limestone architecture, literally and smiles. It’s easy to see why the admitted defeat and ended my the industrious cleaner wrasses in irresistible lure for me and is certainly thickly overgrown with whips, fans, diving into and through the Russell official nickname of this country is pelagic fantasy, retreating upslope to residence. Bonus prizes hidden in one of many highlights of Solomon soft coral trees, and crinoid clusters Islands at Bat Cave, Mirror Pond, the “Hapi Isles”. chase easier quarry. We later learned Mary’s Bommies included flame Islands diving. White Beach, which in full-spectrum brilliance. Rivers and Leru Cut. Carmen, co-cruise that the ’cuda school is often much angels, bigfin reef squid, and a killer has no beach—it was cryptic of flashing fusiliers streamed past director on Solomons PNG Master, Best fishes deeper. We were lucky with the find—a juvenile masked grouper. military speak meant to confound clouds of pyramid butterflyfish and described Leru Cut, “It’s like a giant Remote and exposed to weather, thermocline being shallower. Fortune the Japanese enemy—was a secret purple anthias. Wrasses, surgeonfish, machete cut right through Leru Mary Island, or Mborokua in the favoured us again at Jack Point, Heart and darkness American supply base. At the end coral trout, and triggerfish hung Island.” Dramatic, indeed; I’d been lingua franca, cannot be visited on where Melissa and I got stuck in a Ten-night itineraries on Solomons of the War, U.S. forces dumped all close to the reef while a squadron of waiting for this signature site my every trip. When the sea gods do traffic jam of bigeye jacks and more PNG Master include Marovo manner of battle paraphernalia into spadefish paraded back and forth entire career. The 5 to 10-foot-wide cooperate, however, you’ll be “hapi” barracuda. Lagoon in the Western Province. the sea rather than shipping it home. above it all. One tank was not enough From huge (1.5-3m) chasm connects jungle to you dived it. Later, anchored securely in a Supersizing your liveaboard cruise Seventy-five years later, my wife here. At Ta Island we photographed planes to ocean floor. With sunrays piercing We were four days into our calm bay without current, Captain beyond the normal week is a wise overgrown fans Melissa and I curiously (and gingerly) seafans that completely dwarfed us downward and the sand rippled voyage and everyone had found Jackson and the dive team opened move. A topside excursion to Peava —these large poked around the bullets, vehicles, and fantastically shaped elephant gorgonian sea bottom glowing turquoise, swimming their sea legs. Good thing, as there the back deck for the afternoon. village, famous for its exquisite and pontoon barges spilled pell- ear sponges seemingly created by fans cover some through the 40-feet-deep (12m) split was a brisk current running when The open gate policy allowed us wood carvings, guarantees at least mell down a steep slope to discover Salvador Dali. They flowed, twisted of the deep was truly a surreal experience. we backrolled into the blue off to mellow out and explore Mary’s one masterpiece from these skilled sunken treasure ranging from and dripped into the abyss. Using walls, making We emerged from the realm of Barracuda Point. Descending quickly Bommies at our own pace, coming craftsmen will later decorate your cunningly camouflaged halimeda our macro camera I managed a photographers shadow back into light, reveling in to 60 feet (18m), some deployed and going from the mother ship home. Half a dozen dive sites in this ghost pipefish in the shallows hard-won image of the spectacular very excited the lively coral garden at Karamulon reef hooks while others held position as we felt. After Carmen the fish region deserve to be in your logbook: to a surprisingly intact and very male Melanesian fairy wrasse as he indeed! Point before stepping ashore to by kicking like mad. All of us had whisperer’s detailed briefing, we Kavachi Corner, Fantastic Fans, 22 Magazine www.divermag.com 23 Dive Traveller Melissa Cole swims above the wreck of a Japanese Zero fighter plane resting in the sand at a depth of 55 feet (16m). Details about the sinking of this Mitsubishi A6M plane from WWII are currently unknown. The propeller and much of the fuselage is overgrown with sponges and corals—baitfish are regularly seen here and Tohanna, for starters, and most achieve inner peace in silent shadow. The Solomons abruptly on April 7, 1943. During an especially spots on Mbulo Island. Tagio tumas to Adam for timing also offer a air raid by 177 Japanese aircraft, a maze of tunnels Mbulo translates to heart. I could see this submersion perfectly, and the 500-pound (227kg) bomb dropped and caverns, a resemblance from on high with my imaging tips and locations of the pierced by onto the 168-foot (51m)-long drone, but what I loved most was the sweetest setups. sunlight through minesweeper and smashed directly fringing reefs. the topside into the Commanding Officer’s cabin, Tagio tumas (“thank you very History lesson, Pt 1 jungle canopy, exploding below decks and sinking much” in Solomon pijin) to the crew Metalheads and history buffs are some are even the vessel in just four minutes. for more open deck dive freedom drawn to the Central Province’s said to be home Five sailors were killed and seven at Coral Gardens, home to an Florida Islands. Near the town of to occasional seriously wounded.